DREAMS: One of Our Own
by RedBaronFan
Summary: PART 1 OF 6 at least IN THE ‘DREAMS’ SERIES. The team's search for a missing FBI agent puts Sue into more danger than they bargained for. Can Jack, Bobby and the others keep her safe? REVISED AND EDITED
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This was posted here before and removed for minor editing. Now complete I'm reposting here for your reading enjoyment!**

_**PART 1 OF 6 (at least) IN THE 'DREAMS' SERIES**_. The team's search for a missing FBI agent puts Sue into more danger than they bargained for. Can Jack, Bobby and the others keep her safe?

**_Disclaimer: The Characters of Sue Thomas, Jack Hudson, Bobby Manning, Dimitrius (D) Gans, Donna Gans, Tanya Gans, David (Davey) Gans, Myles Leland III, Tara Samuels, Lucy Dotson, Ted Garrett, Darcy D'Angelo, and Levi are the property of Pebblehut, Paxson Entertainment, Dave Alan Johnson, Gary R. Johnson, and their subsidiaries and related parties. Similarities of other characters to individuals real or imagined are purely coincidental._**

Chapter 1

The morning dawned crisp and windy. Leaves scattered across the ground rustled as a golden lab raced to get the ball his owner threw. Picking up the ball, the dog trotted back to the beautiful blonde woman standing at the other end of the park. She laughed as she took the ball from his mouth and threw it again, watching him take off after it.

Sue loved her mornings with Levi. However, this morning she had other things on her mind. The team had been given a new case yesterday involving the kidnapping of a female FBI agent, Jordan Michaels.

Sue had worked with Jordan on a couple of cases. She was nice and made an effort to learn some simple signs so she could communicate with Sue. They'd even had lunch together the day before she disappeared. Watching Levi run off after his ball again, she remembered the meeting. Jordan was acting strange and Sue questioned her about it.

_"Is everything okay?" Sue asked her friend worried that she was just picking at her food. Jordan looked up grinning slightly. _

"Yeah, just tired," Jordan replied, pushing her dark bangs out of her eyes. "The case I'm working on has me a little out of sorts."

"Anything you want to talk about?" Sue inquired, but Jordan just waved it away promising to let her know the specifics when the case was wrapped up.

But they didn't get to talk. The next day Jordan disappeared on her way to work. Her car was found at a store near her home she frequently stopped at for doughnuts and coffee before heading into DC. No one remembered seeing her that morning, but Tara was reviewing the tapes from the video camera in front of the store. Her supervisor told them Jordan had asked for a few days off. When Sue questioned about the case Jordan talked about, her supervisor said she must be mistaken because the last case Jordan was working on ended over a week ago in an arrest.

Sue was brought out of her reverie by Levi returning with his ball. Dropping it at her feet, he cocked his head to one side looking at her with longing eyes as if begging her to continue playing. Laughing, she told him it was time to go and bend down to attach the leash to his collar.

Turning to head back to the apartment to get ready for work, Sue didn't notice the two men in the dark sedan watching her. As she made her way down the street, the car slowly followed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The bullpen was already buzzing with activity by the time Sue arrived that morning. Myles and Bobby were reviewing a file with D while Tara was typing furiously on her computer. Lucy had come in earlier and was already at her desk. She signed **GOOD MORNING** to Sue as she passed her desk.

Sue was putting her things at her desk when she saw Jack wave her over to his desk. **MORNING, S-U-E,** Jack signed as she approached. Speaking, he continued, "We've got a break on the case. We found video of Jordan from a store camera in Alexandria on the day she disappeared."

Tapping Sue on the shoulder, Bobby explained, "She's talking to someone rather heatedly, and then they get into a black sedan together and drive off."

"Were you able to get the tags?" Sue asked, hopeful and turned towards Tara when she saw her wave.

"Yes and no," Tara stated. "Yes, the video caught the back of the car, but it was too fuzzy to make out the tags. I'm working now on clearing up the picture and seeing if there were other cameras in the area that might have seen the exchange, or the car."

When Sue turned back to Jack, he continued, "We need you to watch the tape and see if you can pick up on what they were arguing about."

**O-K,** Sue signed, moving over to the screen where Tara was cuing up the video. She concentrated on the images flashing before her, repeating the words she saw. They were definitely arguing. The man wanted Jordan to come with him, but she was trying to get out of it.

"He saying, 'plans have changed…we need to move now' but she's saying they need to wait." Her brow furrowed as she concentrated on the conversation. "She wants to make a call, but he told her she could do it in the car. 'If we don't go now, we'll miss the shipment.' She said okay, but she needs to make arrangements before the shipment comes in."

As Jordan was getting into the man's car, he said something to her that made her snap around with a look of surprise on her face. Before she could do anything else, he'd pushed her into the car and got in after her. As the car sped away, Sue turned to Jack.

"He said, 'Mr. Montega wasn't going to appreciate him bringing an FBI agent but this was the only way to protect the shipment." Sue was worried. "Who's Montega?"

"Might be Marcus Montega. He's a known drug lord," Jack replied. "He brings in his supply from South America."

D approached and took Sue's attention continuing, "He's into cocaine, heroin, and just about anything else he can get. We've set up several stings to get him, but he always manages to get away."

"And if he knows Jordan is FBI, it can't be good," Bobby concluded.

"Or our Ms. Michaels could be in on it," Myles said sarcastically. When all eyes turned to glare at him, he snapped, "What! They could have known she was FBI and the look could have been surprise from learning who the big boss was."

"Myles is right." Putting is hand up to halt any arguing, Jack looked around at the rest of his team. "We have to look at all options. We can't let our personal experiences with Jordan to cloud our judgment on this case."

Seeing everyone nod slowly in agreement, he directed, "Tara, see what you can find about Montega. Where is he? Do we have anything on him that we can at least bring him in for questioning? See if you can identify the man with Jordan and keep working on the tag."

"I'm on it," Tara said, quickly returning to her computer.

"Bobby and Myles, question everyone in Jordan's unit. See if anyone can shed any light on what she may have been doing the days before she disappeared. Just because her supervisor wasn't aware of a case doesn't mean she wasn't working on something. And check with your snitches, maybe they is something on the streets about what Montega is up to." Watching Bobby grab his jacket and the two men head out, Jack turned to D.

"D, you and Sue come with me. We're going to re-interview the store employees where Jordan disappeared and see if anyone can put a make on the mystery car." While the others grabbed their things and Sue put on Levi's leash, Jack approached Lucy.

"Lucy, continue working on Jordan. Check her bank records, credit history, anything you can find. See if you can get a timeline on what she did the last few days."

Seeing her nod, Jack turned back to Sue and D. "You two ready?" With both of them ready, they headed out the door together.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

They'd spent two hours re-interviewing everyone at the store with little new information. Now they were working at questioning some of the other shop owners on the street. While D questioned a couple down the street, Jack and Sue were talking to the owner of the barbershop next door. Out of the corner of her eye, Sue caught a girl peaking around the corner of the building. Her dirty, disheveled look had Sue concerned. 

Jack was busy with the shop owner so Sue led Levi down the sidewalk towards the girl. Sue smiled as she approached but the little girl started to back away. 

"It's okay," Sue said trying to assure her. "Levi here just wants to say hello." The girl looked at the dog apprehensively. Levi raised his paw in greeting making the girl smile. She looked back up at Sue, when she said, "You can pet him…he likes that." The girl nervously reached out to stroke Levi's head.

Sue watched her as she played with Levi. The girl couldn't be more than 10 or 11 years old. _She shouldn't be out here by herself,_ Sue thought, but her clothes were old but not very dirty. Sue wondered if she lived on the streets. _She's too young to be alone,_ Sue assured herself. 

"My name is Sue and you've already met Levi," Sue smiled. "What's your name?"

"T-Tina," the girl replied shyly.

"It's nice to meet you, Tina." Levi barks in agreement, helping to break the tension some. 

"Are you with the police?" Tina questioned. 

"Sort of." Sue knelt down beside her so she could see her face better. "I work for the FBI. Do you know what that is?"

"Yeah, I guess so" the girl mumbled, looking down at Levi. 

"What was that? I didn't hear you." When Tina looked up, Sue explained, "I'm deaf, but I can understand you if you look at me when you talk."

"How?" the girl asked, looking at Sue strange. 

"I read your lips when you talk," Sue explained. "So I can't understand what you are saying when I can't see your lips."

"Cool," Tina exclaimed. "I wish I could do that, then I could understand what people were saying when I'm too far away hear them." A dark cloud passed over the girl's face. "Maybe then I'd know what Ms. Roberts said to make Jordan go away. She used to come every day, but Ms. Roberts said something to her and she hasn't been back" 

_Jordan! Could it be the same Jordan?_ Sue wondered. She looked for Jack, but he was still talking to someone down the street, his back to them. Bringing her attention back to the girl, Sue realized she was still talking. 

"…came here to find her, but she left with a man so I waited. She didn't come back and it got dark. I knew Ms. Roberts would be mad so I slept over there." Tina pointed to some boxes and trash in the corner of the alley. "Jordan promised she'd never leave me…but she didn't come back." Tears appeared in the young girls eyes, and she quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand. 

While Sue was talking to the girl, she didn't see the black sedan creeping up the street and stopping behind them. When she saw Tina look behind her, a scared look coming over her face, Sue spun around expecting to see Jack or D. She screamed when she saw the men coming towards them with guns.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jack heard Sue's scream and turned around in time to see her struggling with two men. Running down the street, he pulled out his gun. 

"Stop…FBI," he yelled, quickly regretting his lack of cover on the street when one of the men turned and aimed a gun in his direction. Jumping into an open doorway, Jack barely dodged the bullet ricocheting off the wall by his head. Peering around the corner, Jack realized he couldn't return fire as long as they had Sue, but he had to do something. Pulling back into the doorway, he saw D coming up the other side of the street, gun drawn. Maybe if they could distract the men somehow, Sue could get away. 

Hearing one of the men bellow in pain, Jack looked back around the corner. Levi was jumping on one of the men, pushing him into the car. Just then, he saw Sue swing her purse around connecting with the head of the man who held her. For the first time, Jack saw the girl. 

His mouth almost dropped open in shock when he saw her slam her foot into the other man's shin. However, he immediately regained his composure when he realized the men had released them and Sue was pulling the girl away, calling for Levi. Raising his gun, he fired over the men's head hoping it would stop them from following Sue. 

"Leave 'em," the one said, pulling the other to the car. "We'll get her later." They jumped into the car and quickly tore down the street. Jack stepped out of the doorway and aiming at the tires, he fired. The speed they were coming towards him caused him to miss and he had to jump out of the way as they swerved to hit him. Rolling out of the way, he heard D continuing to fire at the fast moving car, but regained his footing in time to see the car tear around the corner and disappear. 

Turning back, Jack raced over the Sue and Levi. Sue had her arms around the girl, both of them shaking. Kneeling beside them, Jack touched Sue's shoulder. **O-K-YOU,** he signed, the concern evident on his face when he saw the fear in her eyes. Sue nodded stiffly and pulled back to look at the girl, asking her the same thing. She responded affirmatively, and then saw Jack standing there, the panic returning as she buried her face back into Sue's shoulder. 

"It's okay," Sue assured, holding the girl tight. "This is my friend, Jack…and over there is D," she pointed out, when she saw D run up behind Jack. "We work together."

"A-at the F.B.I." the girl asked, peeking out at Jack still unsure. Since her face was still tightly against Sue's shoulder, Sue couldn't see what she was saying but felt the low rumble of her voice. Sue looked at Jack expectantly, reading his lips as he replied, "Yes, sweetheart, at the F.B.I." 

The girl pulled herself out of Sue's arms slightly, still hesitant, "Those men tried to hurt us."

"Yeah, but they're gone now," D said, kneeling down beside the others. "You're one tough little girl."

Releasing Sue, she stood with her hands on her hips, defiantly saying, "I'm not a little girl!"

Ignoring Jack's smirk and raised eyebrows, D quickly replied, "No, I'm sorry. I can see that now." 

Satisfied she'd made her point, she turned back to Sue and asked, "Who were those men, Sue?"

"I don't know, Tina," Sue told her, stealing a glance at Jack. Catching her look and realizing he still had his hand on her shoulder, Jack stood up and stepped away nervously. 

"Um, D, did you catch the tag number," he stammered. D stood up also, shaking his head no. Turning to Sue, he asked, "What about you? Did you get a good look at the men in the car," Jack asked, his F.B.I. training taking over. 

"Yeah, I don't think I'll get those faces out of my mind soon," Sue replied, as D offered her a hand to help her up of the ground. 

"We need to get you back to the office and see about doing a sketch," D said, confidently. "Maybe Tara can use the picture to find out who they were."

"Jordan knows who they were," Tina boasted, causing D and Jack to turn back to her in surprise. Seeing them turn in Tina's direction, Sue followed their gaze in time to see her say, "I saw her with them. They scared me, but Jordan said they were friends of hers. I don't like them."

The three adults looked hopefully at each other, Sue saying, "Tina came here yesterday looking for her friend, Jordan, but saw her drive off with a man."

Pulling a picture out of his pocket, Jack asked, "Is this Jordan?" All of them held their breath as Tina took the picture. 

"Yes," she said, looking from Jack to D to Sue. "Do you know Jordan too?" she asked anxiously.

"We're looking for her too." Sue told her, moving beside Jack so she could see his face. "Tina told me she saw Jordan leave with a man yesterday and she didn't come back."

Jack shot a worried look back at D. _Could the men today have something to do with Jordan's disappearance?_ Jack wondered. _Tina may have seen something she wasn't supposed to, but why would they risk taking her with Sue standing right there?_

Giving Sue and Tina what he hoped was a reassuring smile, Jack asked, "How would you like coming with us? We can take you home. I'm sure your mom is worried by now."

"My mommy is in heaven," Tina whispered sadly, looking down at the ground before turning to look at Sue. "I'm not going back to Ms. Roberts' house. She doesn't like me. She's mean." Shuffling her feet, she said, "I wanted to live with Jordan, but I did something wrong. She left and didn't come back."

With a quick concerned glance at Jack, Sue placed her hand on Tina's back leading her to their car. "Well, I'm sure Jordan will be back. You didn't do anything wrong. She just had something come up but she'll be back in a few days." 

"Until then, we'll find somewhere else you can stay, but we need to call Ms. Roberts and let her know where you are at." Jack said falling into step beside them. At the girl's request and Sue's agreement, Jack opened the back door for them to get in. After Tina got in and Levi jumped in after her, Jack touched Sue's arm to get her attention before she sat down. 

"You did really good back there," Jack admitted. "Looks like the self-defense classes are paying off."

With a twinkle in her eye, Sue smiled, "Yeah, just remember that next time you sneak up on me. Wouldn't want you go get hurt now, would we, Sparky!" With a wink to D over the top of the car, Sue settled into the back seat with the others. 

D laughed at Jack's shocked expression, "It looks like this might just be a kidnapping after all."

"All this is just too much of a coincidence," Jack agreed, shaking his head slightly and still grinning at Sue's comments. 

"Hopefully, the others will have something when we get back." D replied, opening the door. As they got in and drove off, neither noticed the dark sedan pull slowly into traffic behind them.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

They'd been back at the bullpen for a little over an hour. It took some convincing, but Tina finally agreed to stay with Lucy and Levi while Sue worked with the sketch artists, trying to develop pictures of the men who'd tried to abduct them.

They'd also gotten the phone number of Ms. Roberts and called to let the woman know where Tina was. The conversation had upset Jack, because Ms. Roberts didn't seem concerned about the girl, or the fact that she'd slept in an alley last night. In fact, when Jack told her Tina would be staying with them for a few days since she was part of an investigation, the woman barely expressed any emotion and abruptly hung up. Jack could understand why Tina didn't like the woman; he really didn't like her too much at this point either. 

Fortunately, Tina seemed to be bouncing back nicely from her scare earlier. Now she was playing with Levi on the floor by Lucy's desk, laughing as she pulled on one end of Levi's bunny and he tugged on the other. 

Myles, Bobby, D, and Jack were huddled over Tara's desk. Jack had filled in the others about what had happened and learned that Bobby and Myles had made a couple of discoveries of their own. One of Jordan's co-workers had told them that he'd gotten some information from DEA on Marcus Montega for Jordan about three weeks ago, but when he'd asked her about it later, she'd told him that it had been a bad lead. Others had said she'd been acting distant the last couple of weeks, not going out with them after work like she'd used to. 

In addition, one of Bobby's snitches said Montega was indeed in the DC area and word was he was planning something big. The snitch didn't know what, but knew that it was going down in a few days, so the team was put on high alert. If Jordan was involved with Montega and she was still alive, she wouldn't be for long if Montega was able to finish what he had planned. 

Several pairs of eyes looked up from their work when they heard Tina holler Sue's name. Bobby and D grinned when they saw the young girl run to the door, plastering herself to her new friend. Sue stumbled slightly at the force of the impact, but quickly regained her footing. Jack pushed away from Tara's desk and moved closer, waving to get Sue's attention. 

"Looks like someone missed you," Jack smiled. 

Sue flashed him a quick smile while keeping one arm around the girl. Holding out the folder in her other hand, she said, "We've got sketches of the men."

"Good work," Jack said, taking the folder from her and turning to Tara. "Tara, work your magic."

"You got it," Tara replied, opening the folder to begin her search. Scanning the pictures into her computer, Tara's fingers flew across the keys as she made the requests to the Interpol, FBI and other databases to compare the pictures for a match. The others knew if anyone could find anything, it would be their Tara.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Returning to his desk, Jack sat down to go over the folders he had stacked there, hoping for some clue that would lead them to Jordan. Before he could get started, his attention was drawn to Sue's desk where Tina sat on the tall blonde's lap, her little body turned towards excitedly talking. He smiled to himself as he watched them having their own private conversation. _They look so natural together,_ he thought to himself. It was hard to believe they'd only met a few hours before. 

Tara's voice calling his name right beside snapped him out of his admiring of his co-worker and her young charge. Turning, he looked up self-conscious into the face of his computer expert. Seeing the worried look on her face, his embarrassment was soon forgotten. 

"What is it?" Jack questioned. "Did you get a hit on the pictures?"

"No, the program is still working on that," Tara waved her hand distractedly back at the computer on her desk. "While I was waiting I decided to look up some information on Tina…specifically Tina's mom."

"Well?" Jack prodded, when she stopped talking. 

"I found something," she stated simply. She took a breath before continuing, "Tina's mom, Melissa Anderson, died 11 months ago in Fairfax County, Virginia."

"And?" Jack knew Tara wouldn't come over to his desk with something they already had found out from Tina and confirmed with her guardian, Ms. Roberts. 

"The death wasn't accidental. Tina's mom was murdered," she whispered, not wanting Tina to hear.

Bobby had walked up just then and heard the last bit of the exchange. "Well, well. This is turning into one surprise after the other," he said, keeping his voice down too. "Any chance they caught the drongos who did this?"

"No, but the homicide was linked to a Joey Brady," Tara continued quietly. "Joey Brady was a hire gun for none other than Marcus Montega. They never could get enough evidence to convict Brady with Tina's mom death so he walked." 

"So all roads lead back to Montega," Bobby surmised sarcastically. "What does he want with the little shelia over there?" he asked, cocking his head in that direction. 

"I don't know, but this is where it gets interesting." Tara quickly replied. "Would anyone like to guess who Melissa Anderson's father was?" After a pause, she continued, "Melissa's father was none other than Rick Michaels."

"Rick Michaels…you can't mean, Jordan's father?" Jack said in disbelief.

"I can and I do," Tara acknowledged. "They had different mothers, but both our Jordan and Tina's mom, shared the same father."

"Well, that sheds some light on why Jordan was so involved with Tina, but I still don't understand why Tina would be in a foster home if she had Jordan and her family," Bobby wondered. 

"Actually, Jordan and Melissa may not have known about each other," Tara continued. "At least not until recently if my information is right."

"Would you like to share that information with the rest of the party?" Jack asked mockingly. 

"Oh, well…um…when Melissa's parents split in 1973, Melissa stayed with her mother," Tara explained. "Michaels married Jordan's mom a year later and her mother remarried two years after that. Melissa grew up here…"

"And we know Jordan grew up in Georgia," Jack interrupted. "So maybe the sisters didn't know about each other."

Approaching the conversation, Lucy interjected, "Until recently anyway." Pulling some papers from the file, she was carrying. "Jordan began visiting the foster care agency where Tina was placed about 4 months ago. The director said she was very specific about the child she was looking for…age, girl, and recent ward of the courts."

Taking the papers Lucy offered him, Jack glanced over it briefly before stating, "Well, there's definitely a connection between Jordan and Tina. Now we need to find out if there's a connection with Montega. Something about all of this just doesn't make sense." His co-workers agreed. "And a good place to start might be Melissa Anderson's old house in Chantilly. According to this, Jordan took possession of the house 7 months ago."

"Don't look now, Sparky," Bobby remarked, glancing over in Sue's direction. "I think someone has been eavesdropping on us."

Jack turned and met the determined glare in Sue's eyes. With Tina back on the floor playing with Levi, Sue had seen the entire conversation. **I GO,** she signed forceful. Though reluctant, he knew not to argue with her when she got this stubborn look on her face and nodded in agreement. 

"Lucy, Tara, can you look after Tina?" Sue asked. Not waiting for an answer, Sue leaned over to Tina and assured the girl, "Jack and I will be back soon. We're going to see if we can find Jordan."

A sad look came over the girl's face, but she stood up and, giving Sue a tight hug. Putting her tiny hands on each side of Sue's face, she looked her in the eyes and, sounding more mature than she should for her young age, sternly said, "Be careful…and come back."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The address led them to an old ramshackle farmhouse in desperate need of repair. It was apparent no one had live here since Tina's mom had died, but it probably hadn't been taken care of much before then from the looks of it. As Bobby, Jack, and Sue made their way onto the front porch, D made his way around the side of the house searching for anything he could find on the grounds. 

Bobby raised his hand to knock on the door only to jump when the door fell inward at an angle like something from a cartoon or comic strip. The doorframe had rotted and weakened from years of neglect. 

"Sometimes I forget my own strength," he smirked at his colleagues with cocky tilt of his head. Sue just grinned, shaking her head unbelievably at his arrogance. Jack took the time to roll his eyes at his friend before helping him push the door out of their way, but not before Bobby caught a hint of a smile cross his face. 

"Well, at least we can say we didn't break in," Sue retorted comically, raising her hands in mock surrender when Jack and Bobby turned to glare at her, laughter dancing in both men's eyes. 

The three entered the house slowly, looking around in disbelief at the torn, tattered condition of the furniture as well as the mess of papers and ceramic figurines scattered across the floor. 

"Looks like somebody may have been searching for something in here," Jack pointed out, picking up a sofa cushion at his feet and tossing it onto the sofa beside him. Coughing and waving his hand to clear the billow of dust that emerged from the sofa cushion, "But with all this dust accumulated, that couldn't have been very recent."

"Do you think whoever did this has anything to do with those men from earlier today?" Sue asked, worried for her new friend. Jack saw the concern on Sue's face and he didn't want to contribute to it more. However, he knew he couldn't lie to her. 

"It's a possibility. Right now, I'm not ruling anything out," he said, trying to sound convincing. "But if the two are connected, why so much time between the two?"

"He's right, shelia." Bobby placed a comforting hand on her arm causing her to look up at him. "Tina's mum died almost a year ago. Why are they just making a move on the little one if the two were connected?"

Sue didn't look like she fully believed the two men, but she didn't have anything more to add so she just nodded, hoping they'd leave her alone to think. Jack didn't like the tension he saw on her face, but he knew if he persisted she just withdraw more. He hated when she wouldn't talk to him, but he knew she'd seek him out when she was ready. Turning Jack started across the room, looking for anything that might help them find Jordan. 

Suddenly, Jack flinched and jumped back as he felt the floor give slightly under his weight. With a quick look of relief toward Bobby, he turned to Sue. 

"Maybe you should wait by the car," he told her concerned. "The floors are kind of weak in places. I…"

"If I wanted to just stand around waiting for you all to complete the investigation, I would have stayed back at the office," Sue interrupted him sternly. "I'm a part of this team too and I don't need to be coddled."

Jack was ready to argue when she placed a hand on his forearm. "I need to be here…for Tina," she continued, her eyes pleading and her tone softening. Jack knew he should stick to his guns and order her out to the car, but his resolve melted when he saw the look in her eyes. Glancing at Bobby and seeing the silly smirk on his face, Jack knew he wasn't going to get any help from him. 

**O-K,** he signed with a resolved sigh. **CAREFUL-YOU.** "Stay close," he ordered aloud. Seeing her nod, he turned away. 

"She's got you 'whipped', Sparky, my boy," Bobby joked, his back to Sue so she couldn't see what he was saying. 

"Shut up, Bobby," Jack sneered through closed lips, chancing a quick glance in Sue's direction hoping she wouldn't ask what they were saying. Fortunately, she was looking around and didn't see their exchange and he released the breath he didn't know he was holding. _Bobby was right,_ he thought. _It's getting harder and harder everyday to tell her NO._ Turning back, he started moving around the room, knowing instinctively that she'd follow but subconsciously hoping he didn't make the wrong decision.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

She followed behind the others until she saw something shining over by the window. Bending she picked up a cross necklace similar to the one Jordan was wearing on the video the day she disappeared. _Jordan was here,_ Sue thought excitedly. _After she disappeared._

"Jack! Bobby!" She called, moving towards them to show them her find. She didn't hear the creak of the boards she was walking across as they started to give way. Her scream had the others turning just in time to see her drop through the floor under her. 

"Sue!"

Running to the edge of the hole left in the floor, Jack and Bobby fell to their knees, peering down into the darkness. They could just make out the shape of Sue's still form on the ground below, broken boards and debris scattered around her. 

"She's not moving, Bobby." Jack said, his heart in his throat as he tried to not think the worst. Bobby grabbed his cell from his pocket, quickly dialing for an ambulance. 

"What happened?" D asked coming in just then, seeing the two men on the floor. 

"Sue fell through the floor!" Bobby explained, "She's not moving!"

Taking charge of the situation, D directed them to look around for a way down to her. Jack and Bobby scrabbled to their feet and the three went searching for a way down to her. Bobby hollered to the others when he found a doorway leading down. 

It was dark, but D knew they had flashlights in the car and told Jack to go and get them. When he returned, they descended the stairs their flashlights searching frantically around for any signs of Sue. 

Seeing her off to the side, they rushed to her. Bobby checked her neck for a pulse while Jack removed his jacket placing it over her in case she was going into shock. Relief spread across the others faces when Bobby announced she had a pulse, but the relief was soon masked with fear again when Bobby pulled away his hand and they saw the blood. No one said a word as they huddled around her still figure.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Come on, shelia, open those beautiful eyes of yours," Bobby pleaded, quietly stroking her pale face. He knew she couldn't hear him, but it made him feel better talking to her. 

He could see the anguish on this best friend's face as Jack held her limp hand and pressed his handkerchief to the back of her head. "You've got Sparky over there worried, and you don't want him to have another heart attack now, do you?" he continued in a weak attempt to lessen the tension. "An old man like him can only take so much stress."

Bobby wasn't even sure Jack heard him. His friend hadn't taken his eyes off their pretty blonde colleague. He met D's eyes seeing that he too was as concerned about Jack as he was about Sue. 

Just then, they heard the growing sounds of a siren approaching. Hoping it was the ambulance bringing help for their fallen friend, D tore himself away to meet them out front. Before he left, he laid a reassuring hand on Jack's shoulder. 

"She's tough, Jack. She'll be okay." Seeing Jack's slight nod, D gave Bobby one last meaningful look before heading up the stairs. 

"D's right, mate. Sue's one of the strongest shelias I know. If anybody can make it through this, our Sue can." Bobby hoped what he said got through to him, but he didn't have time to push it as he heard D leading the paramedics through the house upstairs.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Bobby watched his best friend pace back and forth in the ER waiting room. It had been almost two hours since they'd arrived at the small hospital with Sue. He had to physically pry Sue's hand out of Jack's when they tried to take her back to the exam rooms. With D's help, he'd gotten him into the waiting room, but nothing they said or did got him to sit down. 

The longer the wait became, the more frantic Jack's pacing got. He'd barely said a word since her fall, other than questioning what was taking so long. Jack's eyes snapped hopeful to the door every time someone entered only to be filled with disappointment when he realized it wasn't the doctor. 

D had called Myles at the office to let him know what had happened. Tara and Lucy wanted to come but Myles was able to convince them to stay with Tina. The girl was already extremely attached to Sue and they didn't want her worrying until they found out Sue's condition. 

Finally, the doctor came in asking for the family of Sue Thomas. Jack bolted over to him with D and Bobby on his heels. 

"Is she alright?" Jack demanded fiercely, causing the doctor to take a step back. Bobby put a hand on Jack's shoulder, pulling him back a bit. 

"We're here with Ms. Thomas," D explained, flipping out his badge. "Agents Gans, Hudson, and Manning with the FBI. Ms. Thomas works with us." 

"How is she?" Bobby asked before Jack could blow up again.

"Well, Ms. Thomas is a very lucky woman," the doctor stated, a little more comfortable than he was before when Jack came charging at him. "I don't know how considering the fall she took, but the only injury appears to be the blow to the back of her head. We've had x-rays done as well as completed a MRI and CAT scan finding no broken bones, internal bleeding, or head trauma other than a concussion."

"Are you sure?" Jack questioned not believing his own ears. 

"Don't get me wrong. She has some minor bruising from the fall so she's going to be sore for a while. Because of the concussion, she needs to stay her overnight. However, with rest and a little TLC, she'll be as good as new," the doctor smiled. "She's a bit groggy but I can let you see her for a few minutes before we take her up to her room." 

Jack didn't hear that last statement. Closing his eyes, he released the breath he didn't realize he was holding. _She's going to be okay,_ he told himself, trying to calm his frazzled nerves. Suddenly he felt like he couldn't breathe. Opening his eyes, he pushed by the doctor in a panic and almost ran outside into the cool evening air.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Bobby found Jack a short time later, leaning with his back against the wall of the ambulance bay. His head was tilted back and his eyes closed as he fought to regain his composure. Jack felt a presence beside him and knew it was Bobby without opening his eyes.

"You okay, mate?" He heard Bobby say, the concern for him clearly evident even in just those three simple words.

"Yeah, I'm just glad she's going to be okay," he sighed. Jack took a deep breath continuing, "I never should have let her follow us in there." Jack opened his eyes, hanging his head. He was angry with himself for letting her get hurt.

"And that little shelia in there would have fought you tooth and nail to come with us," Bobby said quietly hoping his best friend wasn't blaming himself for Sue's accident.

"I should have _MADE_ her stay in the car," Jack shouted in frustration, running his hand wearily through his dark hair.

"You didn't know this was going to happen, Jack," Bobby was beginning to grow angry now himself. _How can he blame himself?_ Bobby wondered. _I couldn't have told her NO either._

"But the floor was weak," Jack struggled with his own feelings of failing one of his team and the logic of his best friend's words. "I knew it was a possibility."

"_POSSIBILITY!_" Bobby exploded. "There's a possibility you'll get hit by a car standing on the sidewalk, but does that mean you're going to stay off the sidewalks?" Bobby saw Jack's head snap up at his angry words, staring at him in shock, but he continued, "_NO_, because you've got to take some risks every day in order to live your life. You can't protect Sue…any of us…from every possibility."

Calming some, he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Unless you plan on chaining us all to desks, Sparky, you've got to accept that in our job people get hurt. It's a risk we all know and are willing to take."

Jack opened his mouth to argue, but before he could get a word out, Bobby interrupted, "I know Sue's not an agent, but she's good at her job. She's independent and she's strong. You know as well as I do that at least half, maybe more, of the cases we've solved have been because of Sue."

Jack looked down at the ground again trying to digest his words. "Blaming yourself isn't going to make the risks go away. That could have very easily been you or me going through that floor." Bobby paused, hoping that his words penetrated Jack's thick skull. 

However, Jack continued staring at the ground. After several moments of standing there in silence, Bobby was about to walk away when Jack raised his head to look at him.

"Just how did you get to be so smart?" Jack asked with a wicked grin.

"Years of practice, Sparky, my boy. Years of practice," Bobby smiled back. "Come on, mate, let's go see Sue before she thinks D is the only one who cares!" Bobby slapped his pal on the back as they headed towards the hospital entrance.

"You know, Crash," Jack grinned as they walked. "That's got to be the most words I've ever heard you string together at one time. Did it hurt?" he asked mischievously.

"Get in the hospital, before you're the one that needs a doctor," Bobby smirked, pushing Jack towards the door. "But you better not say anything to anyone. Don't want to ruin my image as the strong silent type."

Both men's laughter could be heard ringing through the bay as they entered to hospital.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

D was waiting outside one of the Emergency Room waiting area when the two men rejoined him. A slight raise of an eyebrow and a brief nod were all that transpired between the tall Aussie and his colleague to signal everything was back to normal. 

"Have you seen Sue yet?" Jack asked as they approached. 

"Not yet," D responded, turning to walk with them down the hall. "She's just down here in Room 4, but a nurse was going in with her so I decided to wait for you two."

"Now wasn't that nice of you," Bobby joked, dodging a petite nurse that bustled by them. "Didn't want to take all the glory for yourself?" The three men laughed. 

"Did the doctor say anything else about Sue's condition?" Jack inquired, still having trouble shaking the protectiveness he felt. 

"Just not to expect much out of her tonight," D shook his head as they neared the door. "She's pretty out of it and probably won't come to until sometime tomorrow." Jack and Bobby nodded in understanding.

"Oh, what about Lucy?" Jack realized, reaching for the phone in his pocket. D put out a hand to stop him. 

"I've already talked to them," D assured him. "Myles drove Lucy and Tina back to the apartment. After stopping off at her apartment to pick up some things, Tara will be joining them there later tonight…as some added protection."

"Good idea," Bobby added.

"Myles will be driving the three of them down here in the morning to see Sue," D finished. "Now can we go in and see her?" He smiled. 

Opening the door, the three men entered only to be stopped in their tracks at the sight. Sue looked so small in the massive hospital bed she was in. Her still form was hooked up to a heart monitor. A bulky blood pressure cuff was clamped around her upper arm and a nasal oxygen tube crisscrossed her face and neck. A big white cotton gauge pad stuck out from underneath her blonde hair, which was still slightly matted with blood.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"It's okay, gentlemen. It looks worse than it is," a soft voice from the end of the bed said. Three pairs of eyes turned as one in that direction to see a stout, older nurse holding a clipboard and smiling. Moving around to the side of the bed, she began to explain. 

"These wires are attached to leads on her chest and back providing the machine up there with readings about her hearts electrical currents and will alert us if there is any problems, but it is simply a precaution," she started. "You notice the pressure cuff will periodically contract on its on to provide us with constant readings of her blood pressure and the oxygen is also just for precautionary measures while she's in the ER. When she goes up to her room, she probably won't be on either."

She turned to look at the three men. While they didn't look quite as pale as they did when they walked in, they still hadn't moved from the door. _I thought the doctor said these guys were FBI agents,_ she thought cynically. 

Noticing the young woman was moving slightly, the nurse motioned to the three men. "I think she's trying to wake up." While the men took up positions around the bed, she moved to the window. Watching them, she shook her head and thought, _Men! They claim they are so tough but as soon as someone gets hurt, they turn into big babies!_


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Her head hurt so bad as she struggled out to bring herself out of the fog. She had to get to Jack and show him the necklace she found. It was proof Jordan was at the house, but the pain was awful. She didn't know why she was hurting but she knew she had to find Jack. 

She forced her eyes open, but the bright light made her shut them again as the shearing pain enveloped her. However, she couldn't let it stop her. She had to try again. Slowing opening her eyes again, she made out a blurry figure standing over her. 

"Bobby?" she creaked, trying desperately to keep her eyes opened. He was trying to say something to her but she couldn't make out the words. _Focus,_ she told herself, but it didn't help. 

A hand touched her shoulder. Turning her head gradually, she saw Jack. He was trying to sign something to her, but her eyes just won't take the message to her brain. She just couldn't understand! It was so frustrating! 

She tried to tell them about Jordan. They had to know she found the necklace. Why couldn't she get them to understand? 

She could feel the wetness on her cheeks as the frustration overwhelmed her. Slowly the shadows began to enclose around her again. She tried to fight it, but slowly lost to the overpowering darkness.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

As Sue slowly drifted back off to sleep, the three men at her bedside stood with confused looks on their faces. None of them was sure of what they'd just heard. The nurse was the first to speak up. 

"Ms. Thomas was clutching a cross necklace in her hand when she came in," she said frankly, looking from one man to another. The dark haired one the others called Jack approached her.

"Can we see it, please?" he asked softly. When she hesitated, he continued, "We are working on a missing persons case and it's possible this necklace belongs to the woman who is missing."

Bobby came up behind Jack adding, "The woman was an FBI agent, and we believed she was kidnapped. This may be the first clue we have to finding her." The nurse was clearly weighing her options.

"We're not supposed to turn over a patient's personal possessions to anyone without their permission," she stated quietly.

"Please," Jack pleaded, flashing one of his trademark smiles.

"Pfft!" the older woman wagged her finger at him unaffected. "If I get in trouble, I'm coming find you and beat you senseless. Do you understand me, young man?" 

"Yes, ma'am," Jack agreed raising his hands in surrender. The woman moved to a small cabinet against the wall and removed a sack. Out of it she pulled a small bag, which she emptied onto a small table revealing the gold necklace Sue always wore and a cross necklace each of the men had also seen before. They recognized the necklace from the video outside the store the day Jordan disappeared.

"If Sue found the necklace at the house, it means Jordan was there some time between yesterday morning and when we arrived this afternoon." Bobby knew he was stating the obvious but he couldn't believe they were possibly getting a break in this case. The nurse watched in awe as the men sprung into action. 

"Bobby, get an ERT over to the house and have them sweep it." The Aussie nodded and started out. "Be sure to tell them about the weak floor!" Jack called at Bobby's back as he fled out the door cell phone in hand. "D, I need you to take the necklace back to the lab. See if there is any DNA on it that can confirm that it is Jordan's."

D nodded, grabbing a tissue to place the necklace back into the small bag. "Are you staying here?" 

"Yeah," Jack said simply. "I don't want her to wake up alone."

"Right." D agreed, making for the door.

"D call Myles," Jack stated sharply, causing his friend to turn and see the worried look in his eyes.

"Make sure he _AND_ Tara stay with Tina tonight. Tell them not to let her out of their sight."

"You got it," D nodded in understanding, and then he was gone.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The darkness slowly began to lift again. The pain in her head had lessened to a dull ache. Lifting her hand to the back of her head, she felt the bulking gauge over the tender spot on her scalp. Tentatively, Sue opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. Seeing the curtain tracking line above her, she realized she must be in a hospital room.

_Why am I here?_ Sue searched her tired brain, trying to remember what had happened and why her head hurt. _Jack! Where's Jack? He'd know what happen! _

Cautious of her sore skull, Sue turned her head slightly to look around the room. A slow smile spread across her face when she saw Jack and Bobby. _What I wouldn't give for a camera right now! _she giggled to herself.

The two men were slouched in matching chairs against the wall, fast asleep. The peaceful look on their faces was priceless, especially since some time while they were sleeping they'd shifted. Jack had his head on Bobby shoulder while the Aussie was comfortably leaning on his best friend as they slumbered. Not realizing she had laughed aloud, Sue started slightly when they began to stir.

With a mischievous grin, Sue stated aloud, "If you two would like to be alone, I could always leave." Waking up, Bobby and Jack soon realized their positions and jumped up running their hands through their hair as they quickly moved away from each other.

Sue couldn't control her laughter at their shocked and embarrassed faces, but soon regretted it as it caused her pain. Squeezing her eyes shut, Sue held her head in her hands in pain. Hearing her moans and realizing Sue was awake and in pain, Jack rushed to her side with Bobby leaving to get a nurse.

Jack leaned over Sue, rubbing her shoulders as she held her head. He whispered soothing words more to calm himself since he knew she couldn't hear them. Slowly, he felt the tension in her subside as she began to lower her hands and opened her eyes. Looking into his dark eyes, Sue began to smile as she realized he'd been talking to himself.

"You of all people should know I can't see what you're saying when my eyes are closed, Sparky."

"Well, maybe I wasn't talking to you," Jack retorted with a grin, happy to see the sparkle back in her eyes. Leaning back, he signed, **FEEL YOU HOW?**

Sue made him laugh when she rolled her eyes looking around the room. **HERE HOW?**

_What do you remember?_ Jack signed worried. Sue looked away, searching her mind.

**HOUSE ME YOU B-O-B-B-Y?** She signed looking back at Jack seeing him nod. Her face brightened and she excitedly asked, "Did you find the necklace? Jordan's necklace?"

Smiling, Jack nodded, "Yes, D took it to make sure it is hers and ERT was at the house but didn't find anything else." Jack paused before asking, "Do you remember how you ended up here?"

"No, I don't remember anything after finding the necklace," Sue said after thinking again for a moment.

"It's not surprising all things considered," the doctor said, getting Sue's attention as he approached the bed from the other side. "An interpreter is on the way, but I understand you read lips. Is everything okay? Can we want a few minutes for the interpreter?" The doctor was fairly easy to understand and as much as she wanted to find out why she was here, her head was beginning to hurt so she agreed to wait.

Jack took her hand comforting while they waited. A few moments later the interpreter rushed in, apologizing for making them wait. She took up position beside the doctor while Bobby leaned against the wall, looking at Jack as he watching the woman's hands interpreting the doctor's words.

_I've got to start learning more sign,_ Bobby thought to himself.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

By mid-afternoon, Sue felt as if she was almost back to normal. Accompanied by the interpreter, she had spent few hours after she awoke getting some tests rerun, and then spent the rest of the morning sleeping while Bobby and Jack took turns going outside calling in to the office. Now, she was sitting up on the bed challenging the men to a competitive game of gin rummy, Jack and Bobby sitting at her feet on the hospital bed.

"Ha, I'll take that, mate," Bobby said, snatching up the eight of spades Jack had just lain down on the pile. Sue looked again at the clock on the wall, impatiently fidgeting.

"When did you say Myles was bringing them, Jack?" she asked. Jack placed his hand over hers, covering her cards in the process.

"For the fifth time in twenty minutes, they will be here soon," he said when she looked at him. Moving his closed hand to his mouth, Jack put his thumbnail to his chin and he dragged his hand down with a slight twisting motion. 

**TRY-ME,** Sue signed. **HOME-ME-NOW.** Often when they started signing to each other, Bobby didn't understand, but he knew the sign for **HOME**. Even if he didn't, he could tell from the passionate look on her face what she was signing was something she desperately wanted. Since she'd talked of nothing but going home since the doctor had come in and told her she could go an hour and a half ago, it was easy for him to figure out what Sue had just said to Jack.

Since D had taken the car last night, they were stuck waiting. None of the team had wanted to stay behind so they were coming in two cars to pick up Sue. Bobby knew how much he hated hospitals and figured Sue felt the same so he tried to get her mind off the wait.

Touching her arm to get her attention, he joked, "Hey, no fair talking in code, shelia. I know that is how you two keep beating me." Bobby gave her one of his charming Aussie smiles and was rewarded when she returned it with one of hers.

"No, Bobby, we keep beating you because you keep forgetting we're playing gin and not poker," Sue laughed. Seeing his buddy's fake look of hurt, Jack couldn't help but join in. They were all laughing so hard they didn't hear the door open until a booming voice broke their merriment.

"You might want to cut down on the caterwauling in here. There might be some patients who need their rest to recuperate, but obviously not in here."

Sue's laughter slowly died as she followed Bobby and Jack's glances to see Myles, Tara, and D standing in the doorway of her hospital room. While happy to see her friends because she knew she'd be going home, Sue frowned as she realized Bobby said something back that she didn't quite catch.

"Cattle, what?" she asked puzzled. After two years, Sue was getting more comfortable in one-on-one conversations with Bobby but his accent and his use of Australian terms sometimes made it difficult to read what he was saying. Sheepishly, Bobby looked at Jack for help.

**C-A-T-E-R-W-A-U-L-I-N-G,** Jack fingerspelled. At Sue's raised eyebrows, he explained, "Myles' term for 'making a lot of noise', I think." Jack repeated what Myles said when he came into the room. "Bobby was just defending our having a little fun while we waited for them to take their sweet time to get here," Jack joked.

"I was merely pointing out…" Sue saw Myles start to say before everyone cut him off. 

"Shut up, Myles!"


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Well, you sure don't look like someone who fell through a floor and spent the night in the hospital," D flirted, approaching the bed to place a light kiss on Sue's forehead. Bobby and Jack backed away, taking the table they'd been playing cards on with them.

"My, my, Agent Gans! What would Donna say?" Sue smiled at her co-worker.

"Hey, she knows I recognize a beautiful woman when I see one. I did marry her, didn't I?" D grinned, backing away just in time for Sue to see Tara elbow Myles.

"Oh, uh," Myles stammered as he moved up beside D. "These are for you," he said, holding out a bouquet of flowers. "From the team," he added quickly.

"Thank you, Myles and everyone. They're beautiful." As soon as Sue took the flowers, Myles quickly backed away almost stumbling over Tara in the process. Mumbling an apology, he sulked to the corner and leaned against the wall.

"Don't mind him," Tara said, dropping the overnight bag that they'd brought from Sue's apartment onto the chair next to her.

"I know he loves me," Sue laughed. Myles scowled as the others laughed, not knowing how right she was. He tried hard not to like her when Jack got her assigned to the team, but now he secretly thought of her as a little sister.

Yesterday when D had called, Myles heart broke as he told Tara and Lucy of the accident, struggling to keep his own tears in check. Oh, he'd argued about staying with Tara and Lucy to watch the girl. Sleeping on the sofa in Lucy's apartment was a nightmare. In reality, though, Myles didn't want to be alone so he was happy he had to excuse to stay with them.

Looking around the room, he knew this group was as much his family as if they were born from the same parents. He knew he'd do anything to protect them, even if it meant never letting them know how he truly felt about them.

"Where's Lucy and Tina?" Sue asked looking around. Catching Tara and D's worried look, Sue tensed. "What? What happened?"

"Nothing happened, Sue," Tara said. Signing, **SORRY.** "Tina just got a little upset. Lucy and Levi are giving her some time."

"They'll be here in a minute," D added.

"Upset? About what?" Sue worried, then realization hit. "She's upset about me being in here. I've got to go find her." She threw back the covers trying to get out of bed.

Jack was too quick for her. Catching her by the shoulders, he pushed her back against the bed.

"Let go of me, Jack," Sue pleaded. "I've got to find her." Jack didn't let go of her just cocked his head towards to door.

Looking in that direction, Sue relaxed when she saw Lucy standing there. Levi sat patiently on one side. Holding her hand on the other side, but hiding slightly behind her, was Tina.

As she rested back on the bed watching the small figure at the door, Jack settled the covers around her. He moved back trying to guess what was going on with the looks between the girl at the door and the woman on the bed.

"Hi, sweetheart," Sue said, softly breaking the silence. "I've missed you."

Lucy gently pushed the girl forward.

"I-I thought you l-left me…" Tina cried quietly remembering to look at Sue. "Like mommy did…and J-Jordan," she began weeping.

"Oh, baby," Sue said, holding her arms out to the girl. "I'm sorry." 

As Tina ran to her, Bobby stepped forward quickly to carefully lift the girl onto the bed into Sue's comforting arms. Eyes closed, Sue held her tight while the girl sobbed out her fears.   
Six pairs of eyes met each other one by one determine to make whoever caused this pain to pay.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"I don't know why I can't walk," Sue sighed frustrated as the nurse quietly pushed her in the wheelchair to the front entrance. D and Myles had gone ahead to pull the cars up while Jack walked to one side of the wheelchair holding Levi's leash. 

**HOSPITAL RULES,** Lucy signed and said as she walked on Sue's other side.

"I feel fine," Sue insisted. Seeing Jack place his right hand against the side of his head and bend his fingers forward, she glared, "I saw that!"

Walking in front of the group, Bobby had to turn around so Sue could see what he was saying. "But this way, the little shelia there gets a ride, right?" Bobby smiled at Tina who was sitting comfortably on Sue's lap.

While Bobby walked backwards, he ended up bumping into a tall man in a dark suit. "Sorry, mate," Bobby said, "You okay?" Bobby just shrugged back at the others when the man just muttered something under his breath and scurried out the door without turning around.

"I guess he was in a hurry," Sue offered. Bobby just nodded as they continued out.

Myles and D were waiting on the curb by the two cars. As they got closer, D opened the passenger door of Jack's car with a flourish.

"Your chariot awaits, my lady," D announced. "I will be your chauffer for the evening."

Confused, Jack stepped forward. "What do you mean? It's my car."

"It's over a thirty minute drive back into town," D said.

"Bobby and I can drop the girls off at the apartment," Jack insisted not yet wanting to leave his blonde co-worker's company.

"Jack, you and Bobby slept on chairs all night. I'm sure Sue doesn't want to end up back in the hospital because you fell asleep on the way back," D stated.

Sue couldn't see what the two men were saying, but she could tell by Jack's face that he was arguing. Turning to Lucy, she said loud enough that Jack turned to glared at her. "And he called me stubborn!"

"Okay," Jack finally agreed, turning to glower mockingly at the laughing women. "But do I get to at least ride home in my car?"

Moving towards where Sue sat in her wheelchair, D told the dark-haired agent, "If it's okay with Tina and Levi, you can right in the back with them." 

"Actually, D, I think I want to ride in the back with Tina," Sue interrupted, giving Tina a hug.

"Are you sure, Sue?" Jack questioned. "You won't be able to see the conversation from the back?"

"That's okay. Tina and I are going to have a little girl talk," Sue smiled.

Looking down at Levi, Bobby asked sympathetically, "You sure you don't want to ride with us, boy." Everyone laughed as Levi put his paw up as if he was waving Bobby away.

"No, Bobby," Lucy grinned. "Levi lives with two women so he's not afraid of a little girl talk." Levi barked his agreement.

"I think it's about time to get Ms. Thomas home," the nurse interrupted. 

"You're right, Sav," Jack agreed, opening the back door of his car.

"Our lovely shelia is always right," Bobby confirmed, wrapping his arm around the young pretty nurse's waist and placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Careful, Bobby, what would Darcy say?" Jack joked, leaning over to place a kiss on her other cheek. "Thank you for everything," he said with a smile. 

The nurse smiled back and then turned to help Sue into the car. "Keep an eye on these two," she told Sue. "Try to keep them out of trouble."

Across the parking lot, the tall man in the dark suit Bobby bumped into inside the hospital watched the group as the child and dog got into the back of the waiting car. The nurse then helped the blonde from the wheelchair into the car. After closing the door, the others said a few words to each other, then began piling in themselves.

"Are you sure she didn't see you?" the man sitting beside him asked.

"I'm sure," the tall man said never taking his eyes off the group. "The tall one was in the way."

"Good." The other man started the car they were in. "It's too bad her 'bodyguards' would leave her last night or we could have taken care of this already." 

"Don't worry, they'll leave her again. We'll get her."

They waited for a few moments after the cars pulled away and then turned their dark sedan onto the highway behind them. They knew where they were heading so it wouldn't be long before they caught up to them on the road.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Well, apparently Myles, you have gift for telling bedtime stories," Tara smiled, motioning to the sofa when everyone gave her a curious look. The picture the blonde woman and the child made was priceless.

When they had arrived back at the apartment, Sue was set up on the end of the sofa. D had insisted she put her legs up, while Lucy covered her with an afghan blanket. Not wanting to be too far from her, Tina had settle in beside her while everyone else took up positions on chairs and on the floor to wait for pizzas to be delivered.

After they ate, the team had tried to leave. However, Sue insisted they stay as she was enjoying the time together before they got back to work on the case tomorrow. They all agreed and for a while took turns telling stories of their misspent youth.

Tara had noticed Sue close her eyes and lay her head back on the sofa a few minutes ago. Even so, she waited to say anything because she was really enjoying listening to Myles' story. He fought it, but sometimes she could see his heart peeking out from his gruff exterior. Now, the rest of the team smiled at the sight of Sue peacefully sleeping with her arm laying loosely over the girl who was cuddled into her side.

"I guess we need to get these two to bed," Jack said standing. Careful to not disturb Sue, Jack picked up Tina resting her head against his shoulder.

"Bring her into my room, Jack," Lucy instructed quietly, leading him down the hallway. "Sue's still pretty sore so we don't need Tina accidentally bumping into her during the night."

"I'll help you with Sue, Bobby," Tara offered, seeing him lift her into his arms. Sue stirred and winced slightly but didn't wake up. Instead, she nestled into his shoulder and drifted back off to sleep. 

"I think I can figure out how to get a shelia into bed," Bobby winked. Shocked, Tara went to playfully hit him, when he reminded her he was holding Sue.

"I'll give you a break for that this time mister, but only because I'm going to assume it was from your lack of sleep last night," Tara warned, wagging her finger in his direction. "Come on!"

D smirked as they disappeared into Sue's bedroom. Standing he started picking up the cups and plates from their dinner.

"Let's get this place cleaned up for Lucy, Myles," D suggested. The two men made quick work of the clean up and soon had the living room back to normal. On the way back from the kitchen, Myles glanced out the window and what he saw made him back against the wall to take a second look.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"D," Myles called, never taking his eyes off the scene outside. Seeing the look on the blonde agent's face, D approached the window cautiously.

"I think we may have a problem," Myles announced, only slightly unsure of the situation. Signaling D to look down onto the street, he pointed out the dark sedan sitting almost outside of the light of the streetlamps. "I saw a car like that several times behind us on the way back from Chantilly."

D looked out the window at the car, careful to stay out of view of anyone on the street. The car looked like many others he'd seen in and around town, but if Myles was concerned, D figured it must be something.

"It's a little late for two suits to be sitting in their car on an empty street," Myles said, bringing D's attention to the occupants of the sedan.

Now, D was getting just as worried. _Were these the same guys that went after Sue and Tina?_ D wondered. _It doesn't look like the same car._

"I think maybe we need to pay them a visit," D suggested, checking his gun. "Just to be neighborly."

Myles nodded as they headed to the door. Jack was coming out of the hallway when they started out. D quickly told him the situation and Jack took up the post by the window while the other two made their way down to the car.

Bobby and Tara came out of Sue's room joking quietly, only to sober quickly when they saw Jack standing by the window. His tense stance and clinched jaw were evidence that something was wrong.

"What's up, Sparky?" Bobby questioned, moving behind his friend.

Frustrated, Jack turned away from the window and explained, "Myles saw a car on the street that he thinks it followed us back from the hospital."

"What?" Tara's eyes widened. "He didn't say anything."

"He wasn't sure," Jack continued sitting on the sofa. "It would appear, and then disappear."

"Should we get out there?" Bobby asked grabbing his gun.

"No," Jack stopped him, putting up his hand. "Myles and D went out to question them, but before they could get to them, the car took off."

About that time, D and Myles came back through the door disappointed looks on their faces.

"As soon as they saw us, they took off," D confirmed at Bobby's questioning look. "We didn't get a good look at the guys inside."

"But I did happen to get a partial on the plate," Myles declared, handing Tara a piece of paper.

"I need my computer," Tara stated. She didn't bring it last night when she stayed with Lucy and Tina here.

"I'll drop you off at your apartment," D offered. "I need to get home to Donna and the kids. It's getting late."

"Someone needs to stay here tonight in case they decide to come back," Jack said as they stood around considering the possibilities if they did and no one was here.

"Well, you and Koala Boy need to get a good night's sleep…" Myles started.

"And not with each other," Tara muttered under her breath, having been told by Sue how she found them this morning. Bobby and Jack glared at her, while the others wondered what she was talking about.

"I'll stay here again tonight and one of you can relieve me in the morning," Myles proposed. Four pairs of eyes looked at him in shock.

"Well, if the ladies need protection, I am the best option," Myles sneered arrogantly. At Levi's bark, he added, "Levi, the Wonder Dog, and I will keep a taut vigil."

"Mate, you've got yourself a deal," Bobby agreed, yawning. "Nothing we can do tonight anyway." Bobby grabbed his jacket off the chair.

"Call us if you need us," Jack ordered picking up his jacket. "One of us will be back first thing." They were on their way out the door when Lucy came out of the bedroom. Everyone stopped in their tracks, embarrassed they'd forgotten about Lucy.

"Are you all leaving without saying goodbye?" Lucy asked, looking from one to the other realizing something was wrong.

"Go ahead," Myles said, waving the others out the door. "I'll explain."

Jack nodded his thanks and led the others out. Myles followed, making sure the door was locked behind them. Turning back to Lucy, he took a deep breath at the worried look in her eyes. Motioning towards the sofa, he sat down beside her as he explained why she'd be having company again tonight.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Sue opened her eyes the next morning to be greeted by the late morning sun through the window. Looking around, she smiled slightly as she saw all the familiar things in her bedroom. _Thank God, I'm out of that hospital,_ she reflected. Noticing the closed door, she thought, _It was nice of Lucy to keep Levi out, but she really should have woke me earlier_. Closing her eyes again for a moment, Sue had to admit how good it felt to sleep in every occasionally.

_Well, as much as I'd like to stay here all day, I need to help Lucy with Tina,_ Sue thought, throwing back the covers to get out of bed. She caught her breath mid-motion as sore muscles screamed out.

_OW! I forgot about that,_ Sue moaned to herself, holding her aching ribs. Moving slower, she stood to carefully pull on her robe and headed out to find Lucy and Tina.

Entering the empty living room, Sue was about to call out when a man appeared in the kitchen doorway. Startled, she almost screamed before she realized who it was.

"BOBBY!" Sue breathed relaxing again. "You scared me!" Moving gingerly over to the sofa to place her hand on the back, Sue leaned against it.

"Sorry, Sue," Bobby looked at her apologetically. "Next time I'll try to be a little louder so you know someone's here," he grinned.

**H-A-H-A,** Sue signed and said.

"Are you still sore?" Bobby asked concerned. She was kind of pale and leaning pretty heavily on the back of the sofa. He wanted to go to her, but he knew that would just upset her. Bobby had learned very quickly that if Sue wanted help, and she rarely did, she'd ask. It still didn't mean he didn't worry about her like a little sister. The whole team did.

"Sue," he persisted when she didn't answer. She wasn't looking at him now so he knew she didn't hear him. He went to take a step towards her when she looked up.

"A little," Sue admitted faintly. 

"Why don't you sit down and I'll bring you some of your pain medication and something to eat,"  
Bobby offered, trying to be helpful. He was just happy she'd admitted she was hurting and wasn't being stubborn like he knew the men on the team, including him, were.

"Okay, thanks," Sue agreed, moving slowly around to the front of the sofa. As Bobby turned to go back into the kitchen, he laughed when he heard her holler, "NO PIZZA!"


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Setting up a tray with a glass of orange juice, a bowl of oatmeal and her medication, Bobby returned to the living room to find Sue curled up on the sofa with Levi's head on her lap. When she saw him approaching out of the corner of her eye, she looked up and smiled her thanks.

"You know, I thought I got rid of you when I got out of the hospital," Sue joked, a glint of laughter in her eyes.

"And miss out on my excellent culinary skills," Bobby grinned, settling the tray on her lap and sitting beside her. 

"Excellent culinary skills?" she questioned, looking at the breakfast in front of her. "Instant oatmeal and orange juice? Darcy's in for a real treat with you," she smiled.

"Hey, Darce doesn't complain," Bobby faked being hurt by her words. 

"Just goes to show what love does to a woman," Sue teased.

Shaking his head, he picked up her medication and the glass. "Take your medicine and leave me alone," Bobby ordered. 

Sue took the offering and obeyed, knowing that she'd gotten the upper hand with the Aussie. After taking a few bites of oatmeal, Sue looked at Bobby and asked, "Where's Lucy and Tina?"

"Jack needed Lucy at the office and D took the shelia over to play with Tanya and David."

Bobby leaned back against the sofa, placing his arm along the back so he could turn better to face her. "You needed your sleep and that got her mind off of when you were going to wake up." He smiled. "She asked about you every fifteen minutes."

"I should call her," Sue said, looking for her Blackberry. Bobby placed his hand on her arm to get her to look back at him.

"Donna said to call when you woke up and we could come over there or she'd bring Tina back," he started. "But first you need to eat." He pointed back to her bowl and gave what he felt was his best commanding glare, all the while hoping she wouldn't argue. If she did, he knew he'd give in.

"Okay," Sue said returning to her oatmeal, much to Bobby's relief. "Now why are you here?"


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Bobby wasn't sure how much to tell her, or for that matter where to begin. Sue sat patiently while he explained about the car Myles saw outside the night before. He stopped several times to give her an opportunity to say something or ask questions. When she didn't, he pointed at her bowl to remind her to eat.

Tara had gotten several hits this morning off the partial plates that matched the vehicle description. She and Jack were running down them down.

"One of the cars she got a hit on was registered to the law firm of Atherton, Gomes, and Jessop, LLC, which just happens to represent none other than our friend, Marcus Montega," Bobby revealed, seeing the look of realization in Sue's eyes. "The question is, why would someone from the law firm representing Montega tailing us?" Taking a deep breath, Bobby cautiously watched Sue as he continued, "Or in this case tailing you?"

"_WHAT?_" Sue's eyes widened. "Why would they be tailing me?" she asked agitated.

"Come down, shelia," Bobby said, putting a reassuring hand on her arm. "It's only a theory, but D and I were talking this morning…Jack and Myles came to the same conclusion. What if Jordan told you or gave you something relating to this case and they want it back?"

"But I told you, Bobby," she shook her head. "Jordan wouldn't even talk about it to me. I had no idea what she was doing until we saw the video from in front of the store."

"They might think she told you something making you a threat," Bobby insisted. "Or she could have given you something without your knowledge."

"I don't know what it could be," Sue threw up her hands in frustration.

"I know, we'll go over what you did the last couple of times you and Jordan were together," Bobby told her. "Maybe something will stand out."

"Okay, what do we do until then?" she asked.

"Garrett wanted to put you and Tina into a safe house," Bobby started, putting his hand up when he felt she was going to protest. "But he knew you'd never go for that, so the team has been assigned as your official bodyguards/roommates until this is over." He smiled. "I know its going to be a pain, but until this is over you can't go anywhere without one of us, understand?"

Sue looked down at the sofa. She was upset that she was being assigned 'babysitters', but she was more worried about what they thought she knew. _What if Jordan told me something that can help her?_ She thought. _I've got to help and NOT from a safe house_. She felt Bobby's hand under her chin and raised her head to meet his eyes.

"Humor us," Bobby pleaded. "How else do you think we can get a beautiful woman to willingly spend time with Myles and Jack?"


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Bobby had spent several hours going over Sue's last several meetings with Jordan and came up with nothing new. Both of them were getting extremely frustrated so he suggested they call Donna to bring the kids over.

Realizing she was still in her robe, Sue went to shower and change while Bobby cleaned up. She came back to find him looking through one of Lucy's sign language books from the book shelf. She watched with a smile on her face as he attempted a few signs by copying what it looked like in the pictures.

"Actually that sign is directional," she said, laughing slightly when he snapped the book shut and spun around. He looked like a kid that had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Huh? What?" he stammered.

"Payback," she smiled, reminding Bobby that he'd startled her earlier. He grinned back, putting the book back on the shelf.

"Directional," he asked, realizing what she'd said. "What's that?"

"It means the sign moves in the direction that the action is taking," she explained. Seeing he still had a confused look on his face, Sue held out her left hand flat palm up and placed her right fist into it with the thumb up. "This was the sign that you were doing, right?"

"Yeah," Bobby said copying the sign as she did it. "It said it was the sign for **HELP**."

"That's right," she nodded. "But if you move your hands toward you, that's '**HELP-ME**'." She should him what she meant proud when he followed. "If you push your hands away it means '**I-HELP**' or sometimes could be '**HELP-YOU**'."

"Wow," he practiced a few times saying the words in his head as he moved his hands. "Can you do this with all words?"

"Not all," Sue smiled. "But a lot of action words are directional." Holding two hands out as if she was driving a car, she said, "**DRIVE**." Adding the motions, she continued, "**I-DRIVE…YOU-DRIVE**."

Assuming the position she demonstrated, Bobby duplicated her actions pleased when he was rewarded with a smile. He'd hoped to get her mind off things and this was just the ticket. She seemed much more relaxed showing him signs and they could do this until Donna showed up with the kids. _I wanted to learn more and now is as good a time as any_, Bobby thought.

"So how long before I'm as good as Jack and Lucy," he joked, trying to keep the mood light.

"Well," Sue wanted to be honest. "They've been signing for a couple of years now, and they come to Deaf functions with me so they get exposure to it quite often," she admitted, walking to the sofa to sit down. "The easiest way to learn is to be around as many deaf people as you can and talk to them. It's the deaf language so the best way is to let them teach you, not books." She added, pointing to the bookcase. "The more you are around people using sign, the quicker you'll pick it up."

"Is that why Lucy is better than Jack?" Bobby asked, sitting beside her. "Because she lives her with you and gets to use it all the time." Bobby was happy he'd gotten this opportunity to ask these questions. He'd always wanted to, but it had never been easy. Sue, on the other hand, made him very comfortable asking questions. She didn't mind answering any of them and correcting him on some of his misconceptions.

"Well, it could be," Sue started. "It could also be that since Jack started signing when he was older it's just taking his hands a little while to get used to the movement." At Bobby's curious look, she grabbed his hand and held it up to hers. "See your hand is bigger than mine and, for some men, it means they can't move it as easily for the quick small motions we make in some signs and fingerspelling." Bobby nodded his understanding. "I'm not saying he won't be as good as Lucy some day, but Jack just doesn't have the small motor movement built up yet."

"That's why Troy can sign so fast," Bobby concluded. "He's been doing it all his life so his hands are used to the movement."

"It's Troy's first language," Sue smiled. "Just like you can talk so fast because it's yours."

"Sorry," Bobby apologized. He knew he did forget sometimes, and when he got excited, he'd talk even faster than he normally did. He knew that had to be frustrating for Sue. He made a mental note for himself to start working on that harder.

"Okay, tell me more," Bobby said, hungry to learn.

"How about I show you?" Sue said as she started to sign, Bobby watching her hands diligently and listening to her every word.


	26. Chapter 26

SEATBELT WARNING! Things get kind of tense from here on out! Don't say I didn't warn you! 

Chapter 26

Sue spent another couple of minutes showing Bobby some different signs and answering some of his questions. When Levi jumped up his paws on her lap, it startled her.

"Levi!" Sue laughed, not having realized how into the lesson with Bobby she'd gotten.

Bobby touched her arm and signed a little uncertain, **DOOR** . He smiled when Sue nodded he remembered the right sign. "I think he's trying to tell you someone's at the door," he said out loud. "It's probably Donna. I'll get it." He stood, happily walking to the door practicing some of the signs he'd just learned.

As he got close, the door burst open with such force it hit Bobby sending him flying against the wall. Caught off guard, he bounced off the wall only to double over as a fist connected with his stomach knocking the wind out of him. Dazed, Bobby tried to get to his gun, but pain shot through his head and he fell to the ground. Just before the darkness overwhelmed him, Bobby's mind screamed, _SUE!_

Sue felt the loud bang of the door hitting the wall, the vibration reverberating throughout the apartment. "What was that, Bobby?" Sue called aloud, turning gingerly on the couch to greet Donna and the kids.

The smile on her face dropped when she saw Bobby staggering backward from the door. Sue recognized the two men barreling in behind him as those that tried to grab her and Tina. Afraid for Bobby as well as herself, she struggled to her feet hampered by her bruises and sore ribs ready to fight.

She watched in horror as one of the men hit Bobby on the back of the head with the butt of his gun. As if in slow motion in Sue's eyes, he slumped to the floor unmoving.

The men then turned their attention to Sue. Backing away from their steeling glares, her focus never left the guns the men were waving around. Suddenly, Levi jumped on one of the men trying to protect his master.

"Levi," Sue shouted watching the man swat the dog aside as if Levi was a rag doll. Levi leaped back up but was grabbed and thrown into the bathroom locked away from being any help.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Tara and Jack had gotten nowhere with executives at Atherton, Gomes, and Jessop. Either they were hiding it pretty well, or they had no idea what their client, Marcus Montega, was up to."So where do we go from here?" Tara asked as they made their way down the long hallways of the building and back to Jack's car. Jack's phone interrupted him from answering.

"Hudson," he answered, his facial expression changing from frustration to worry as he listened. "When?" Tara looked up at him with concern, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"We'll be right there." Jack snapped the phone shut, his face somber. Grabbing Tara's arm, he led her down the hallway to the door, his long strides making her almost run to keep up.

"What happened?" Tara insisted when it looked like he wasn't going to tell her.

"Someone broke into Sue's apartment," Jack said pushing open the outside door for her to go through first. "Donna found Bobby unconscious on the floor."

"Bobby?" Tara said trying to make sense of what he was saying. "What about Sue?" she asked, knowing that Bobby was supposed to be there with her.

"She's gone," Jack said quietly opening the passenger door. Their eyes met briefly, multiple emotions from fear to worry to anger passed through them, before Tara sank into the seat and Jack rounded the car to the driver's seat.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

A paramedic was just leaving when Tara and Jack arrived at Sue's apartment building. Several units of the DCPD as well as FBI agents were canvassing the streets and neighboring apartments. They hoped to find someone who may have seen or heard something. So far, there'd been nothing.

Entering the apartment, Tara quickly spotted Lucy staring glassy-eyed out the window. Making her way through the agents, officers and ERT personnel inside, Tara touched Lucy on her shoulder to get her attention. Lucy turned and struggled to hold herself together as she saw the concern and worry mirrored in Tara's eyes. Putting her arms around her friend, Tara pulled her into a comforting embrace.

From just inside the door, Jack watched the exchanged between the two women. He wanted to offer his reassurance too, but he had work to do. Checking with the DCPD officer at the door, Jack was directed to the FBI agent who'd taken charge of the scene.

The pretty, young agent was sitting on the sofa with Bobby who had a bag of ice pressed to the growing welt on the back of his head. She was trying hard to get a statement from him. However, from his animated conversation with the petite agent, Jack could see he was struggling with his own frustration of not being out with the others looking.

"Agent Hudson." The petite woman practically snapped to attention when she saw Jack approach.

"Agent Peters," Jack acknowledged. "What have we got?"

Carrie Peters had just transferred from a Kentucky field office. Garrett had asked for her to be assigned to the team temporarily to help out with the Montega case. At 27, she was still fairly green in the DC area, but the team had found her extremely competent in the short time they'd work together.

Today, her designated duty had been to watch a 10 year old witness over at a fellow agent's house. Now, here she was leading the investigation of the disappearance of an FBI employee.

"Unknown assailants, two possibly more, broke in surprising Agent Manning and Ms. Thomas," Carrie started professionally. "Upon knock out Manning and locking Ms. Thomas' dog…uh.." she looked at her notebook, "Levi, in the bathroom, the assailants appear to have taken Ms. Thomas."

"ERT?" Jack looked at her questioningly.

"When Mrs. Gans and I arrived, Agent Manning was just inside the door so his scuffle would have been limited to the short hallway there and the entrance." Waving her hand around, Carrie indicated several other spots in the room. "It appears by the looks of things Ms. Thomas put up quite a struggle so I have ERT sweeping the place to see what they can find."

"Good," Jack nodded impressed with her leadership in the situation. "What about witnesses?"

"Nothing so far," Carrie shook her head. "Teams are out canvassing the block and I've put alerts out to law enforcement with Ms. Thomas' description."

Before he could ask, she assured him, "Mrs. Gans and the children are across the hall with another agent, and Agents Leland and Gans are with the teams interviewing the neighbors."

She hesitated slightly, but confidently said, "Agent Gans assigned me lead until you arrived since I was already here."

"Good work. Continue with what you're doing," Jack responded, somewhat disappointed she'd taken care of everything he could have done. "Report to me immediately if you hear anything."

"Yes, sir," she responded. With a brief nod in Bobby's direction, she moved off to confer with one of the DCPD officers in the room.

"You okay?" Jack asked looking down at his friend.

"No, I'm not okay," the Aussie bellowed, causing several stares in his direction from the others in the room. Lowering his voice a bit, he continued in frustration, "I let my guard down, Sparky. This is all my fault."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"We were talking…she has a way of making you forget everything but what you're doing right then," Bobby grimaced distractedly, running his hands through his hair.

"Now you know what I go through," Jack rolled his eyes sarcastically.

"It's not funny, Jack," the Aussie sighed. "I got distracted from my job and now Sue's missing."

"If anyone's to blame, Crash, it's me," Jack said sitting beside his friend. "I'm the lead agent on this case and knew of the dangers of letting her stay here."

"But you didn't go and let her get kidnapped!" Bobby wailed.

"And neither did you," Jack replied so firmly that Bobby looked over at him. "A wise man told me recently that we've got to accept that things happen in our jobs. There are risks we have agreed to, and unfortunately this is one of them." The two friends smiled at each other as Bobby's words from a few days ago came back to him.

"You did your best," Jack added, poking at the welt on Bobby's head and laughing when he pulled away. "You're going to have the headache in the morning to prove it."

"Okay, Sparky," Bobby moaned. "I get the picture, so now what?"

"Now one of our own is out there." Ted Garrett was standing behind them having just come into the apartment with D and Myles who'd completed a fruitless search of the area.

"We had an agent disappear two days ago. Now one of MY team is missing," Garrett continued the anger only slightly veiled in his eyes. Lucy and Tara approached from the window until the team was standing almost in a circle around the coffee table. "I don't know what is going on here, but it's about time we put a stop to it. Do we have any leads?"

Before anyone could answer Garrett they were stopped by an excited holler across the room. Snapping her phone closed, Carrie Peters looked up and realized everyone was watching her.

"We've got a break," she stated excitedly hoping her over-enthusiasm at the news didn't tarnish her credibility. "The SOG team we've got staked out at Montega's house just reported a black sedan arriving with a blonde woman."

"Sue!" Bobby hoped. "Did they say whether she was okay?" Bobby loomed over the petite woman, but she didn't back down.

"She was unconscious," Carrie shook her head. "They aren't 100 sure it was her."

"Great job, Carrie," Tara said excited, refusing to believe anything other than a safe return for her missing friend.

"I don't care what we've got to do. Warrants, subpoenas, whatever, but let's get out there and find Thomas," Garrett looked sternly at each member of his team. "Bring her back…bring them both back!" The others stood amazed at the forcefulness and passion in the big man's words. The whole room was silent; all of them were lost in their own thoughts.

"NOW PEOPLE!" Garrett commanded, sending the room into a whirl.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

When she'd seen Bobby fall to the floor, Sue had frozen thinking of the bang she felt. It was seeing them toss Levi around like he was nothing that caused her to fight and fight she did. She knew her fists and feet had made contact with the men as she watched them double over. However, it wasn't long before they'd overpowered her and she felt a sharp strike against the back of her head then blackness.

When Sue first awoke, she felt a fleeting moment of panic. The floor was slick concrete and cold, no more than 8' x 10' in size. Except for a solitary steel door that was bolted shut from the outside brick lined every wall from floor to ceiling. The only light came from a single bulb hanging from a chain in the center of the small room.

Unnerved at the dank, dark cell she was imprisoned in, Sue banged on the steel door hoping someone would hear her, but half afraid that her captures would come back and finish whatever they had planned for her. She'd search, pulled, and prodded at the bricks along the walls until her fingers bled, praying for some signs of weakness in the imposing structure.

As time wore on and the chill started to become unbearable, Sue leaned heavily against the rough wall, slowly sinking to the floor in despair. Her bruises and sore ribs cried out, but Sue was lost to the feeling. All she could think of was her last hours might be spent here, shut off from the rest of the world. Not knowing where she was or who had her terrified her, but not knowing what was going to happen to her bothered her the most.

_Please let someone find me! _Sue's thoughts cried out. The light sweater and thin slacks she wore did little to hide her shivers. Despite the pain it caused her, she curled herself into a tight ball in the corner trying to stay warm. Teeth chattering, she tried to think.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

The layout of the Montega compound provided many places to set up surveillance of the grounds. The SOG units had little trouble providing reports on the vehicles coming and going from the property as well as who entered and left the house. Unfortunately, because of the tight security no one could get up close enough to see inside without being noticed.

The team had arrived about twenty minutes ago and was getting briefed on the latest from the current unit. Using the cover of some trees, D and Jack reviewed plans of the estate with a couple of the SOG boys, while Myles and Bobby scoped out the fencing to see if there was a way in without setting off any alarms. Inside the van, Tara was reviewing the earlier tape of the sedan arriving to see if she could see anything different.

Jack looked up anxiously as Myles and Bobby returned. Their breaths coming out in puffs against the cold air, the two men quickly nodded their heads at the lead agent's questioning frown.

"We think we found a way in," Bobby panted slightly, trying to catch his breath from the long run and the frigid air.

"There is a small break in the neighbor's fencing," Myles supplied, just as winded. "Just enough to get through and close enough to the house to go undetected…for a while."

"Alright then, let's get suited up!" Jack said, determined. "Then we'll go over the plan."

All of the men turned back to the cars and van to grab their gear. An unwavering purpose had been established and each man instinctively knew they had a part.

How it would be accomplished; they could plan. How it would play out; they could only hope.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Sue tensed seeing the steel door opening and two shadowing figures dragging something in. Huddling closer into the corner, she tried to hide in the darkness recesses of the room, afraid they were coming from her. She watched as they dropped whatever they were carrying into the center of the room and turned, pulling the heavy door shut with a vibrating thud behind them.

Only when they were gone did Sue risk a glance at the shape on the floor. Shock and dismay filled her when she realized it was a person.

_Jordan? _she thought hopefully. Her face was turned away on the concrete floor, but from the dark hair and the clothes, Sue believed it could be the missing agent.

Her body protested as Sue struggled to move closer. She was so cold and had been sitting in one position for so long she'd gotten stiff. However, Sue had to get to her friend despite the pain she was in herself.

"Jordan?" Sue called out to her, knowing she couldn't hear her if she responded but hoping she'd see her move. Finally, she was able to kneel beside her. Gently, she shook her and got no response. Supporting her neck, she rolled the still figure onto her back.

Sue gasped in shock when she saw the condition of the woman's face. They'd beaten her until her eyes were swollen shut. Her lips were cut and engorged. Her face was so distorted Sue was sure several of her facial bones were broken. Blood matted her hair and the front of the woman's shirt.

Tears of relief and sorrow filled Sue's eyes when she felt her neck and found a weak but stead pulse. _How could they have done this to you?_ Sue cried desperately. _Why did they do this to you? _

How long she'd sat there holding her friend in her arms crying, Sue didn't know. By the time the door reopened and the two men came back in, Sue wasn't afraid anymore. She was angry. _Someone was going to pay!_ she thought standing up. _Someone was going to pay!_


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Not wanting to let on her body was hurting and sore, Sue carefully stood up. Defiantly looking from one man to the other, she waited for one of them to speak.

"We know you can understand us, Ms. Thomas," the tall one said. "Now that you see what happens when you don't cooperate, our employer would like to see you."

His words sent a chill down Sue's spine. They'd done this to Jordan because of something she refused to tell them. _They must think she told me_, Sue thought swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat.

"Let's go," the short stocky guy grabbed her arm and pushed her towards the door. Sue stumbled slightly, but the tall man caught her before she fell. When she looked up at him, he was leering down at her, his hands caressing her shoulders where he held her. Angrily, she pulled away and started walking down the hall.

The floor she was on was obviously a basement. The hall was lined with several steel doors, similar to the one she'd come out. The walls were the same brick dotted with lantern lights that reminded Sue of a castle dungeon. A blood red carpet covering the floor muffled her footsteps.

She hadn't gotten very far when a hand clamped over her upper arm again slowing her, the grip bruising on her already tender skin. They walked beside her like jail wardens on death row up a flight of stairs.

The floor they'd taken her to was much more extravagant. Crystal chandeliers lined the foyer and the hallway. Sue didn't have Myles' knowledge of art but she knew the paintings she passed, and those in the sitting room they entered, were quite expensive.

As soon as Sue saw the man sitting behind the large mahogany desk by the window, she recognized him. She'd become familiar with his picture from the board at the bullpen. _Marcus Montega!_ Sue thought to herself.

Standing in front of him now without Jack, Bobby, or one of the others made her quite nervous. Her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest. She couldn't remember being in a situation like this before without having some kind of plan.

_What would Jack do? _Sue asked herself. She took a deep breath and ran her sweaty palms down the sides of her slacks.

"Mr. Montega, it's so nice of you to have me over, but you really shouldn't have gone to all this trouble," Sue quipped, hoping her voice didn't sound as shaking to them as it felt to her.

Montega pointed to a chair on the other side of the desk without saying a word. Apparently, Sue didn't move fast enough because she felt two hands from behind push her forward and force her into the chair. The little yelp she gave was both from the surprise of being grabbed from behind and the pain of being manhandled so vehemently.

Now seated, Sue returned her attention to the man across from her. She had to do whatever she could not to end up in the same condition as Jordan downstairs or she wouldn't be of any help to either of them.

She tried to make it appear on the outside that she was strong, for Jordan, but this man intimidated her and he hadn't even spoken a word yet. Some people used her hearing loss as a weakness and he looked like just the type of person to use it to his advantage. Sue hoped she could prevent that.

A wicked smile appeared on Montega's face as he began to speak. "So Ms. Thomas, why don't we just cut to the chase? If you don't want to end up like your friend, you'll tell me right now where the F.B.I. has my daughter?" Montega started coldly.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Sue blinked her eyes several times, her forehead wrinkling in utter confusion. Sheer panic surged through her. She should have realized it by Montega's name and his occupation, but she never imagined his accent would be that hard to lip read. It had taken her a while to get used to Bobby's Aussie accent but his wasn't near as heavy as Montega's.

Many of the words seem to blend together making incoherent jumbles. She thought she understood one or two of the words so she assumed he was talking in English. However, without one of the team here to interpret, the only way she was going to find out was to ask. Sue worried rubbing her hands back and forth across her thighs.

"I'm sorry, I didn't get that," Sue said nervously watching the drug lord closely. "I'm deaf and…" Before she could finish, she felt the sharp sting of a hand connect with her face. Her head snapped back and she squeezed her eyes shut as tears threatened.

Putting her hand up to the reddening welt appearing on her cheek, Sue slowing opened her moist eyes. The short, stocky man who'd brought her upstairs was standing over her, his irritation evident. The fear was evident in her eyes as well as how her hand shook as she dropped it back to her side.

"It's hard for me to read the lips of someone with an accent or someone who talks fast," she tried to explain quickly; afraid they were going to hit her again. "Until I get used to them, I miss words…sometimes whole sentences." Sue held her breath waiting and watching.

Montega must have said something, because he looked over his shoulder and backed away. When he was a safe distance away, Sue released the breath she was holding, her eyes darting between the two men. She wanted to crawl into a corner and cry; she was so scared.

Montega said something again, waving his hand at the short man. Looking at the other man, Sue realized he was speaking and struggled to compose herself so she could concentrate on what he was saying.

"We've seen you with Agent Michaels so we know you are working with her," he said disdainfully. "So if you tell us where she's at it will go easier on you."

_She?_ Sue questioned her forehead furrowing as she tried to think of who they might be talking about.

"Who?" she asked. When the short man stalked over his arm up ready to back hand her, Sue sunk down into her chair throwing her hands up to protect herself from his attack.

"Please don't," she begged. "Please." She watched through her hands as he slowly backed away.

"I'm not working with Jordan," Sue said quickly. "I've had lunch with her but I don't know what case she was working on; she didn't talk about it." Montega spoke again to the man. She still wasn't having any easier time understanding him, but the short man turned to her and repeated.

"If you aren't working with her, why were you at the house in Chantilly?" he questioned.

_House? What did Jordan's sister have to do with this? _Sue tried to think. _Did they have something to do with Melissa's death?_


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Eight armed FBI agents in black gear lined up just outside the break in the fence awaiting instructions. They didn't know what to expect once they entered the estate.

"Clark, Douglas, you have the front," Jack instructed. "Johnson, Craig, take position on the east side of the house. Bobby, D, you're on the back. Myles and I will take the far side. " Seeing everyone nod, Jack lifted the knit mask over his mouth. Now only their varying sizes were the only distinguishing factors on the men. Their helmets, goggles, and masks shielded their identity from others.

"No one moves until I give the word. Watch the cameras and be careful," he gave one last final bit of directives. They all knew this was going to be a risky mission against the drug lord, but had agreed despite the danger.

"Tara, we're going in," Jack called across his radio to the surveillance van. Hearing her affirmative response, he signaled the others forward. Each man slipped through the hole carefully scanning for any movement from the house before moving swiftly on to their assigned locations.

Unfortunately, as Clark and Douglas were approaching, two men exited the house and stood on the front porch, causing the agents to have to stop so they didn't give up their position. Johnson and Craig weren't having any better luck than the other two since their side of the house didn't have much coverage and they couldn't get as close as they needed. Both teams held their position waiting and watching.

From the relative safety of some trees about 100 feet from the far side of the house, Jack used binoculars to scan the windows he could see. The upper floors had several closed drapes, but of those on this side that he could see in, there was no movement. Lowering the binoculars, he looked over at Myles and shook his head.

Bobby and D made their ways slowly around the back of the house. They weren't far from the house when D spotted movement through the window. Motioning to Bobby, they ducked behind some trees and watched. Bobby pulled out his binoculars and focused them on the window. His heart stopped when he saw the scene inside the room.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Sue's head was starting to hurt from concentrating so hard on what was being said. Even though she couldn't understand him, she still watched Montega as he talked hoping that she'd start to pick up on his accent. However, she really wished Montega would slow down. In normal situations, she would have spoken up, but touching her swollen cheek, she was afraid to say anything.

"What do you know about the owner of the house? Why were you there?" the short man asked bring her attention back to him. Sue had seen Jack and Bobby use this tactic before when they already knew the answer. She felt it best to play along but try not to give up too much information.

"Um, all I was told was the owner was a woman who died several months ago. We'd just started looking around when I had an accident," she stated, pointing out the bruise on her arm. Watching their expressions carefully, she thought to add, "I was hired by the F.B.I. to do fingerprint analysis; I'm not an agent." _At least that part is true_, Sue thought thankfully. It was hard coming up with a cover story on her own, but she felt she was doing pretty well since one of the others normally did this.

"What about the daughter?" she was asked abruptly.

"I'm sorry, I don't know anything about a daughter," Sue said quickly hoping they didn't know about Tina. _Was Jordan trying to protect Tina from this man? Was that why she was downstairs in that condition?_ Sue wondered. "I didn't even know what we were looking for." _Only Jordan knew what was going on,_ she thought to herself, _we were hoping to find something that would clue us in when we got there._

Sue didn't know whether they believed her or not. The frowns on their faces did little to show their pleasure at what she said. The short man turned away from her so while she could still see his face she couldn't read his lips.

It was a horrible isolated feeling watching them talk, knowing it was about her and not being able to hear what was said. The longer they talked, the more she felt like the little girl back in school that got picked on by the others. Social gatherings with a lot of people bothered her like this, so many people talking at one time, but this was much more intense. Her life depended on this.

A sudden sparkle of light caught her eye taking her attention away from the conversation. What she saw made her want to jump out of her chair and run. Trying to remain calm, Sue shifted her eyes back to the two men, her heart pounding.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

The harsh motion of a hand, slamming down on the desk in front of her, made Sue jump in her seat. Looking up she saw the furious face of the tall man, who'd been standing behind her. She saw his lips move and concentrated so wouldn't miss what he was saying.

"Don't give us that!" His lips were slightly distorted so she could tell he was probably yelling. "I saw you with her. One of my men would have gotten you too if it hadn't been for those agents."

Sue's eyes widened in shock. _My God, it was Montega's men outside the Alexandria, VA store. Why?_

"We were watching," he sneered. "We know she left with you."

"Uh..the little girl was just a runaway…one of the other agents took her home." Sue remembered D saying the best way to keep your story straight while undercover was to keep it as true as possible. She hoped this worked.

"Home, where?" he demanded, towering over her menacing.

"I don't know," she cowered in her chair at his glare. "She was just a runaway."

Sue was surprised when his face changed and he turned away. He said something over his shoulder but he was turned too much so she didn't get all of it. What she did get looked like 'your daughter'. _That_ _can't be right, could Tina be Montega's daughter? _Sue sat in disbelief.

Montega didn't know where Tina was, so her mother must have been keeping her from him. That would explain why they lived in that rundown farm house. It also explains why Tina ended up in foster care after her mother died. They only put children in foster care when they don't have any other family. Since Tara said Jordan probably didn't know about Melissa until recently, Melissa probably didn't know about her. With a father like Montega, Sue could see why Melissa kept Tina from him.

Everything was beginning to make sense. Now if only she could get out of here and get Jordan help. Sue risked another glance where she'd seen the glint of light earlier.

_Yes!_ _I wasn't imagining it,_ Sue reflected happily. Outside the window, she saw the two black shapes slinking through the trees not far from the house. She'd seen those uniforms often enough to recognize them quickly. _They found me!_


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Bobby couldn't believe his eyes. Not only did they find Montega, but he watched as Sue calmly entered the room with him and sat in the chair across from him. Thinking he had to be seeing things, he took just a minute to glance up to see if D saw the same thing. Exchanging worried looks, they returned their attention inside the room.

When they saw the man slap Sue, both men stiffened. D had to grab Bobby's arm to restrain in from barging into the room in anger. The rage was unmistakable in the younger agent's eyes even through the protective goggles, but they both knew going in now would only put Sue, as well as themselves, into more danger.

"Sam 3-9 to Sam 3-6," D called over quietly over his radio to Jack. "We've located the subject in the back east side of the house, just off the pool." He paused, hoping to keep the anxiety out of his voice at the next words. "Jack, Sue's with him."

D and Bobby shared an apprehensive look at the silence that met them across the radio. They knew Jack had heard them.

"Sam 3-9, hold your position," they finally heard him say. "Tara, do you have anything?"

"Two on the front porch," came Tara's voice over the radio from the surveillance van. "No other movement, Jack."

Bobby hit D's arm and nodded back to the house. The men inside the house looked like they were getting very angry. They hadn't hit her again, but from how she was slouched in the chair, Bobby and D knew it might only be a manner of time.

"Sam 3-2 to Sam 3-6, we've got to move," Bobby pleaded.

Suddenly, D saw Sue making some motions with her hands. Concentrating, he realized she was signing. She'd looked out the window at one point, but D was sure she didn't see them. _Could she be trying to signal us?_ D wondered, nudging Bobby.

"Jack, we need you over here now," D wanted to shout over his radio but kept his voice at a whisper. In his excitement, he had totally thrown away the radio protocol that had been drilled into him. "We think Sue's signing something."

Bobby watched through his binoculars. She could only make a few motions before having to stop. _They're going to catch her. Jack will never make it in time,_ Bobby sighed worried. _Watch her, Manning, you can do this. What is she saying?_


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

D stared at Bobby in disbelief when he started talking to himself. He was looking intently at the house, his whispers not making any sense, but Bobby didn't notice the stare because he was too busy concentrating on Sue's motions. She couldn't make large movements, but he was trying to remember what they could mean.

_She moved her right "Y" hand downward in a short motion._

"Now?" he whispered uncertainly.

_She drew her right fingers through her left hand as if coming through a hole._

"Gone?"

_With both open palms up, she moved her hands away from her body._

"Carry? No, **BRING**."

D finally figured out what Bobby was doing. He looked through his binoculars at Sue's movements trying to help him. She paused for a moment and then began repeating the signs again.

"That's **OUT**," D whispered. "She signs that to Levi when its time to go for a walk." Bobby nodded his head in acknowledgement. D would see that sign more because he sits right behind Sue.

"And that's **STAY** not **NOW**…her hand is face the wrong way." Bobby said, remembering what Sue said about some signs looking alike.

_My God, the shelia's going to try to bring them outside_, Bobby hoped he saw something wrong, but when he saw them stand and move towards the glass doors leading outside, he knew he was right.

"Sam 3-6, subject is exiting the house," Bobby whispered through the radio, his heart pounding. "Sue's bringing him to us."

"What?" Jack practically shouted into his ear.

"We're almost there!" barked Myles over the radio.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Sue had been able to make a few signs before Montega almost caught her. She only hoped that Jack was one of the figures outside. If he wasn't, her plan might not work. They wouldn't know what she was saying and she didn't know how far away back up was for the two figures she did see.

"If we could," Sue started interrupting the men's conversation, "I could really use some air." When they looked at her skeptically, she added, "I think I'm going to be sick." She placed her hand over her mouth, hoping that it would add to her story.

Apparently, Montega decided to take pity on her. _Probably didn't want to mess up his carpet,_ Sue thought ruefully. He stood up signaling his men and moved towards the door. The short man reach for her, grabbing her arm, brutally wrenching her from the chair.

Sue slowed her steps to the door, hoping it would give whoever was outside time to set up. Pushed from behind, she stumbled into the wall. Turning, she glared at the tall man behind her, half in defiance and half in fear.

Passing through the door outside, Sue wanted to run over to the trees where she knew the dark clothed figures were waiting. Instead, she took several deep breaths, looking around for a way to get Montega closer to her rescuers. Sue felt a hand on her arm and jumped, seeing Montega standing beside her talking.

"Mr. Montega would like to know if you'd like to go for a walk, if you are feeling better," the short man leered as Montega's hand traveled up her arm in a sick caress. Sue wanted to pull away from him, but thought she might be able to use this. It was common knowledge that Montega had a thing for the ladies. _He's been trying to use my 'weakness', now it's time to use one of his, _Sue thought smugly.

Allowing him to put her arm in his, they began strolling around the pool. The short man walked on Montega's other side providing Sue with commentary of what Montega was saying. The tall man followed a few paces behind. She didn't like the men's suggestive leers at her and she had to work to hold down her indignation.

_Where were they?_ Sue thought as she tried to keep up her end of the conversation so they didn't become suspicious. _We should have passed where they were by now. _They'd been walking a while and Sue didn't see anything in the trees.

Suddenly, Montega jerked the arm she was holding. Sue followed the direction he and the short man were looking and saw six black figures with assault rifles standing around them. She tried to pull her hand out of Montega's grip, but he was too strong for her and tugged her too him.

Catching her by surprise, she lurched forward into his chest. The impact sent them both staggering at the edge of the pool. Sue flapped her arms as she lost her balance, clutching Montega's shirt she sent them both falling into the cold water.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Myles and Jack leapfrogged around the side of the house, one man providing cover as the other moved a few yards forward. Passing each other like this was slow and tedious, but necessary to ensure their safety so they could help their co-worker and friend. They moved closer to the house and farther towards the back where they knew their suspect was heading—with Sue.

Peeking around the corner, Jack stopped in his tracks holding his hand up to prevent Myles from following. Sue was standing on the patio, not thirty feet from him, surrounded by Marcus Montega and his men. She was looking out over the yard and didn't see him, but when she pushed her hair behind her ear, he saw the bruise forming on her face.

_That monster!_ Jack raged. He could feel Myles tense beside him as he saw the young blonde's cheek. For someone as sweet and gentle as Sue, both men were furious that Montega, or one of his men, had laid a hand on her. As much as they wanted to take Montega now, Sue was in the way and could get hurt if the others weren't ready.

Looking down the back of the house passed where Sue was standing, Jack saw Craig and Johnson crouched behind some bushes, moving into position. Craig acknowledged Jack' presence as they awaited his signal to move.

Jack knew Bobby and D were also somewhere in the yard, but couldn't give up their position in case Montega saw them. From years of working with them, Jack knew they'd be ready as soon as he said move.

Turning his attention back to Montega, Jack felt Myles put out a restraining arm as they watched Montega run his hand down Sue's upper arm. Jack and Myles didn't like the way the man was looking at her, but knew they had to wait. Hopefully, the wait wouldn't be long because their patience was wearing very thin.

From their vantage point, Jack and Myles watched as the group began walking towards the pool with Sue and Montega arm and arm. When they got far enough down the path, Jack signaled for Craig and Johnson to follow. He couldn't risk using the radio to signal Bobby and D. All of them would have to rely on training and instinct to make this work as the men moved in behind the unsuspecting foursome.

The next several seconds went by in a flash, but for the agents, parts of it seem to go in slow motion. Just as Jack, Myles, Craig, and Johnson got into position behind Montega and his goons, Bobby and D popped out of some bushes to their left.

"F.B.I., freeze!" all six men shouted together.

While his two henchmen realized it was futile for them to fight and raised their hands in surrender, Montega jerked Sue towards him reaching for a gun in his pocket and snarling, "Come any closer and she's dead."

Sue, not being able to hear the actions behind her, was taken off guard and stumbled heavily into Montega throwing him off balance. The agents watched in horror as Sue and Montega went flying head first into the pool. While the other four agents quickly put the other two men into custody, Jack and Bobby stripped off their helmets and vests diving into the pool after them.

The impact of hitting the chilly water had gotten Montega to release her. However, the cold shock, coupled with the jarring of her sore muscles as well as the overall disorienting nature of water, made Sue panic. _I have to get away from Montega_, Sue thought frantically in the frigid water.

She felt someone grab her and in a frenzy lashed out blindly with her fists connecting enough to feel the hands release her. Struggling to surface, she couldn't get her bearing in the thrashing water before two powerful arms locked around her upper body, pinning her arms to her sides.

Fighting him, she was fast running out of air when she felt herself being propelled forward, breaking the surface of the water. Gasping and still partially blinded by the water, she threw her head back connect with her captor's noise.

She felt the grip on her loosen and spun to get out of the tight hand she felt on her arm. It wasn't until she felt the hand on her face pushing her wet hair back that she brought her hands up to wipe her eyes and realized her underwater captor was only trying to help.

"Jack," Sue hollered, throwing her arms around his neck almost making them go under again. Jack wrapped one arm around her, using the other to keep them above water.

"Great, now she hugs me," Jack joked over Sue's shoulder to the rest of the guys, his nose smarting.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

The backyard was a whirl of activity as Montega and his men were hurried off. Before he was led away, Montega stopped at where Sue was sitting on a pool chair, wrapped in a blanket provided by one of the paramedics that were now downstairs with Jordan. She had no idea what he said, but she didn't miss the fact that Jack had to hold Bobby back from attacking the handcuffed, wet man.

D put a comforting hand on her shoulder as she watched Montega walk away between two armed agents. Looking up at D, Sue gave him a wiry smile, happy that all of this was finally over.

The four men stood protectively around her, not quite knowing what to say. Sue could see the concern in all of their eyes.

"I know, you were just in the neighborhood, right?" Sue quipped with a watery grin hoping to break the tension. The guys smiled slightly.

"You know we couldn't let you have all the fun without us," D joked, causing her to laugh.

"Next time, you can have all the 'fun' by yourself," she retorted, her eyes growing misty as she recalled the danger she had been in. "Thank you all so much. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't found me," Sue admitted, her tears flowing as she stepped forward to give them each a hug.

Each man was more than willing to accept the embrace now that they had her back, though none of them were sure who was comforting who more. The other three watched in amusement while Myles looked a bit embarrassed, being on the receiving end of her affection.

"You're getting my vest wet," Myles bemoaned, knowing Sue couldn't hear him with her arms around his neck.

"Shut up, Myles," snapped D, Bobby, and Jack as they watched their friends, with smiles on their faces. As if he was resigning himself to the torture of her embrace, he wrapped his arms loosely around her.

When he was sure the others weren't looking, he gave her a quick squeeze and whispered to himself, "Good to have you back, Thomas."


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Myles, Bobby, D and Jack finished up things at the Montega estate before heading to the hospital to meet Tara and Sue. After they'd loaded the still unconscious Jordan into an ambulance, Jack had insisted on Sue getting checked out too. While at first she resisted, Tara finally got her to go by driving her in another agent's borrowed car.

From the emergency room, they were directed to the surgical waiting room where they found Sue and Tara. Sue had changed into a borrow pair of scrubs, her hair still slightly damp from her dousing. Tara tapped Sue's arm and directed her to the new arrivals. While Myles and D were wearing the same clothes they saw them in earlier, Jack and Bobby had changed their wet things for some dry clothes that had been brought to them at the estate.

**OK-YOU**, Jack signed as they approached.

**FINE,** Sue signed back. "Jordan's in surgery," her voice cracked as she thought about the severity of her injuries.

"The doctor said Jordan suffered some internal injuries and a broken arm," Tara added, placing her hand over Sue's in a comforting gesture. "They have a plastic surgeon in there for the broken bones in her face."

"Is she going to make it?" Myles asked solemnly. Tara's head snapped around glaring at him, thankful Sue wasn't looking and didn't see what he'd said. Realizing his slip, Myles muttered an apology looking down at the floor.

Sue was staring at her lap struggling to keep her tears at bay. The stress of what she'd been through the last several hours as well as concern over her friend were beginning to weigh heavily on her in her fragile state.

"I called Lucy, but Sue wanted her to stay with Tina until we found out about Jordan," Tara said. She hated talking about her friend when she knew Sue wasn't paying attention to see what she was saying, but she was concerned. "The doctor said all Sue needs is rest but she won't listen to anything I've said. She won't go home until she finds out about Jordan." Tara's eyes were pleading, not knowing what to do and worried about her friend.

The caring father came out as D knelt before Sue, touching her chin to get her to look up. His heart broke as he saw the pain in her eyes, wishing he could take it away.

"Hey," D stated once he got her attention. "You need to get some rest. We need our secret weapon back in top form to help chase down the bad guys," he stated, using a tone he normally saved for his kids.

"I'm fine, really. I just want to wait until there is some word on Jordan," Sue insisted, blinking away the tears that threatened. "I'm just really thankful Jack understood my signs back there and you all were able to get us out of there." She watched as D turned and exchanged a weird look with Bobby.

"What?" Sue asked anxiously as D stood back up beside the other agents.

"Actually, I can't take the credit for that," Jack replied rubbing the back of his neck, swapping sheepish glances with Bobby and D. Sue looked at him in confusion so he continued, "Myles and I came in from the side of the house when you and Montega moved out onto the patio."

"What? Then you didn't know what I was doing?" she said puzzled, looking around at the men who stood before her.

"Well," Jack admitted, grinning at the embarrassed looks on Bobby and D's faces. "Crash and D were able to figure out what you were signing and gave the rest of us the heads up."

"Really?" Sue smiled at the two men.

"Bobby was the one who really figured it out," D declared, pointing at his buddy.

"Oh, no, you don't," Bobby shook his head. "You get credit for the sign you learned from Levi." This information caused everyone to laugh.

"Levi?" Sue asked, looking at the older agent in disbelief.

D signs **OUT**. "You always do that when you ask Levi if he needs to go for a walk," he confessed grinning. "I guess after a while I just caught on what it meant."

"I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks," Jack joked. "Right, D?" And laughter filled the room.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

By the time the doctor had come in to let them know about Jordan, the team was alone in the waiting room. The other people had since left or moved to a hospital room with their love ones.

After a lot of prodding by her co-workers, Sue finally curled up on one of the sofas. Covered with a blanket Bobby had swiped from an open linen closet down the hall, she was now fast asleep oblivious to the activities around her.

While no one wanted to wake her, Jack knew he'd better let her talk to the doctor since Jordan's condition was the reason she wouldn't go home. He knelt down beside her, brushing a stray hair out of her face, gently shaking her shoulder waking her.

"The doctor's here," he said quietly when she opened her eyes. Seeing her struggle because of her soreness, Jack quickly moved to help her sit up.

Waving the doctor over, Jack made sure he understood about facing Sue when he talked so she could read his lips. Sitting beside her, Jack prepared to sign anything Sue didn't catch as the doctor began to speak.

"I'm Doctor Kotsur," he said with Jack fingerspelling his name. "Ms. Michaels came through the surgery fine. She had a ruptured spleen that we were able to repair. We set her arm and the plastic surgeon was able to wire together the broken bones in her face." He paused to see if anyone had any questions and waited while Jack signed a few things to Sue.

"Will she be okay?" Sue asked quietly.

"Ms. Michaels has a long road to recovery," Dr. Kotsur admitted. "She might need more surgeries for her face, but she should get as good as new in time."

Sue sagged against Jack in relief, all of her pent up emotions came pouring out. Jack put his arm around her letting her cry on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Doctor," Jack said as Bobby and D led him to the door asking him a few more questions. Behind Tara, who was having trouble holding in her tears of joy, Myles stood shuffling his feet at the display of emotion before reaching out to put a comforting hand on Tara's shoulder. She turned to look up at him, her smile slightly surprised at his show of sympathy.

"Jack, maybe we should get Sue home now," Myles stated quietly, looking at the blonde in the other agent's arms.

"Harvard's right for once, Sparky," Bobby said coming back to join them, earning a glare from the blonde agent. "The doctor said it will be at least morning before we can see Jordan."

"There's nothing more we can do here," D added. "They have our numbers in case they need anything."

Jack touched Sue's chin to get her to look up, he signed, **HOME-GO-NOW**. Fortunately, Sue was too tired now to argue anymore and just nodded her head in agreement. Jack stood with her, leaving his arm around her as six of them made their way down the now quiet hospital corridor.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Sue slept late into the next day, and when she awoke, she found Myles and Lucy in the living room. She stopped on her way into the room when she realized they were actually laughing together.

"Okay, have I entered the Twilight Zone?" Sue asked in mock disbelief that Myles and Lucy were having a cordial conversation. They just laughed as Sue moved over to the sofa, Myles getting up to help her.

"Myles had just stopped by to check up on you," Lucy said but Sue didn't miss the collaborative glances the two of them gave each other. Sue knew something was up. _They're trying to keep me away from the hospital_, Sue thought.

After about an hour of talking, Levi came bounding in to let Sue know someone was at the door. Myles caught him before he jumped on her, so the overzealous dog didn't hurt her, and then offered to get the door.

When D, Donna and their kids came in with Tina, Sue knew her suspicious were true, but she let them go while she was welcomed home by the ten-year-old. Sue was just as happy to see her as Tina was to see Sue.

"Uncle D told me about Jordan," Tina said simply, plopping herself down on the sofa beside Sue. "He said we could go see her in a day or two." Tina smiled at Sue, "You were right, Sue, she was just working. The bad man hurt her but Uncle D said she's going to be okay."

"Uncle D?" Sue asked, looking from the girl to D.

"Yeah, Uncle Bobby and Uncle Jack came over this morning and had breakfast but you were still asleep. We went to the park and played, then they took me over to Uncle D's and Aunt Donna so I could play with Tanya and Davey," Tina said totally natural with the names she'd given her new friends. "Can we play with Levi?" she asked finally slowing down so Sue could catch up.

"Yes, sweetheart," Sue agreed, watching Tina, Tanya, and Davey run off to play with Levi. "Wow, she was a little excited," she admitted, not sure if she caught everything that was said because the girl was talking so fast.

"She's just happy," Donna replied taking the place Tina vacated. "She's been worried about you and Jordan."

"Thank you for taking care of her, Donna," Sue solemnly offered, gripping her friend's hand.

"No problem, Tanya and David enjoyed the company," Donna said with a little laugh. "Gave Dimitrius and I an opportunity to see how things would be with three kids in the house."

"Any chance of the pitter patter of another Gans, D," Lucy joked, seeing his happy facial expression directed at his wife, she dropped the issue.

"Any news on Jordan," Sue asked D expectantly.

"She woke up for a little while this morning," D replied. "Jack was with her and she confirmed what you told us yesterday. Her sister, Melissa, had gotten involved with Montega but when she found out what he did, she left."

"It wasn't long after that she found out she was pregnant," Myles added, standing beside D. "She knew Montega was very family oriented and would come after Tina if he found out about her so she hid."

"Unfortunately, Montega found out about his daughter and came after them," D continued. "Jordan was able to connect Montega with Melissa's death. Fortunately, Tina wasn't home so Montega didn't find her."

"When Jordan was going through her father's papers, she found the information on her sister," Myles supplied. "Jordan tracked her to the Chantilly house through an elderly friend of Melissa's mother. Unfortunately, it was too late to help Melissa but she was able to find Tina."

"Jordan wants to take over guardianship of Tina, but couldn't do anything until she brought Montega down," D finished.

"That's great that Tina will have a family again," Sue smiled. "Does she know?"

"No, not yet," Donna said, touching her arm to get her attention. "Jordan wanted to tell her when she saw her."

"Jordan has a long recovery," Sue worried. "What is going to happen while Jordan is in the hospital?"

"Well, D and I have asked if she can stay with us," Donna admitted, smiling sweetly at her husband. "Like I said, we've really enjoyed having her and she's such a sweet girl."

"It was the least we could do after all Jordan and Tina had been through," D grinned as the adults turned to watch the children play with the happy dog.

_Everything was going to work out_, Sue thought smiling broadly. _Thank God, Tina and Jordan have each other to help work through all that has happened._ Sue also knew that both of them had an extended family now that would look after them, just as they always did for her.


	46. Chapter 46

**CONCLUSION**

Three weeks had passed since Montega's arrest. Not only did they get him, but his entire operation was busted up. The AUSA promised Montega would spend the rest of his life in prison for his part in Melissa's murder as well as the kidnapping and assault of two federal employees.

Jordan had been left the hospital last week after one more surgery on the bones in her face. Tina was so excited to be moving in with her, though she'd still be spending time with D and Donna while Jordan had rehab.

Sue had finally gotten to go see Jordan after her forced day of rest by the team. She didn't let on that she knew what they were doing, especially when Tara, Jack, and Bobby showed up later. They were so obvious in trying to keep her mind off the hospital; Sue just let them think it was working. She was just happy to be back with her friends---her family.

Now, Sue was back at work, feeling her old self again, though she noticed a little more attentiveness from the team for a while. Normally, she would have been upset, feeling smothered, but she understood they were just as worried while she was missing as she was.

D and Bobby had started taken on more responsibility to learn signs; D taking more than just a little ribbing about learning from Levi. However, after experiencing first hand how much it helped during the case, they both wanted to spend more time learning with Sue. Though Myles never would participate in the lessons, Sue sometimes would catch him practicing at his desk.

Sue was looking forward to Bobby and Darcy joining the evenings she spent at the community center. Jack, Tara, and Lucy had already become fast friends with some of Sue's deaf friends and Sue was excited about introducing more of her friends.

Smiling to herself, Sue was deep in a stack of paperwork when Lucy got a call from downstairs. Lucy smiled when she turned to her friend.

"Levi, get Sue," Lucy called from her desk. Happy to be of service, Levi bounded up from his position on the floor and pawed Sue's leg. When he had her attention, he looked over at Lucy proud again of another mission accomplished.

**VISITOR**, Lucy signed.

Puzzled, Sue wondered who could be coming to visit her. She wasn't expecting anyone. Keeping her eye on the door, she didn't have to wait long as a young woman came around the corner.

"Sav!" Sue cried, rushing over to greet her. Pulling her into a hug, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Well,…" Sav started, only to be interrupted by the rest of the team coming over to welcome her. An abrupt cough brought everyone to a quiet somber. Everyone looked as if they'd been caught by the principal. Sav pointed Sue towards to big black man that had just entered the bullpen.

"Uh, Ted," Sue said stepping forward pulling Sav with her. "This is Savannah Bisson, my nurse from the hospital in Chantilly. Sav, this is our supervisor, Ted Garrett."

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Bisson," Garrett said, trying not to look so intimidating despite exterior appearance. "Thank you for taking care of our Ms. Thomas after her unfortunate accident."

"It was my pleasure," Sav replied shaking his hand. "I'm just glad it wasn't worse, and it gave me an opportunity to meet these guys," she added chancing a glance over her shoulder at the rest of the team.

"And that's a good thing?" A hint of a smile flashed across Garrett's face assuring everyone of his joke. "Carry on," he said, and with that he was gone.

"Wow," Sav gasped, looking at Sue. "What a presence! I'd hate meeting him in a dark alley."

"I'm sure a lot of bad guys have said the same thing," Sue smiled. "By the way, you didn't get to tell me what are you doing here?" Sue questioned. "Not that I'm not happy to see you," she added quickly.

"Actually she's here to see me," Jack acknowledged from over Sav's shoulder. "I got her number before we left the hospital and we set up a date."

"Way to go, Sparky!" Bobby called from his desk.

"Well, I'm glad my hospital stay was productive for someone," Sue beamed happily. Sav and Jack smiled back.

"Ready for lunch?" he asked Sav, his hand gently touching her back.

"Sure," Sav replied smiling.

"Do you want to come with us?" Jack asked, looking at Sue.

"Jack, we've really got to work on your romantic side," Sue scolded. "You don't ask one of your co-workers to come with you on a date."

"Unless you two kids need a chaperone," D offered playfully as he walked by to his desk.

"I don't need a chaperone," Jack glared.

"Go. Have fun," Sue grinned, saving Jack from further torment. Jack and Sav smiled back their thanks and turned to leave. Jack's hand delicately caressed the small of her back as he escorted her out the door.

Smiling to herself as she sat back down at her desk, Sue thought, _Those two make a cute couple. At least if Jack gets hurt, he has someone at home that can patch him up._

**FADE OUT**


End file.
